Ashige Uyoku
by intelligenceisstupid
Summary: *SEQUEL to Hatsu Shibou. When Aisoku inherits both his parents powers, what will happen when both Krad and Dark realize their son has almost no control?
1. Chapter 1

Aisoku paused while putting on the top of his school uniform and let the white cloth slide down his back, turning around and eying the two anomalies between his shoulder blades. He really should have told Emiko or Kosuke by now and he knew it, but... It was weirdly exciting- to feel these things growing under his skin and knowing that no one else knew about them but him. And of course, really freaky.

He reached over one shoulder, past the blonde hairs at the nape of his neck and rested his hand against one. They were both resting in the little hollows just between his shoulder blades and spine. The fold of bone and muscle underneath was as obvious as the joint of an elbow –then it continued down until it was just a little past the end of his ribcage and disappeared.

He flushed a little as he felt a pulse in the object- he hadn't noticed that until today. Whatever they were they required a ton of food and even Emiko had noticed his growing appetite but attributed it so far to him being a 'growing boy.' He pulled his shirt back over his shoulders, buttoned it up then prepared himself mentally for the cornucopia of traps that awaited him in the hallway as they did every morning. Today was an extra surprise- somehow Emiko had rigged a very large, very live tiger into the mix and by the time he made it into the kitchen it was nearly time for school.

"Aah, Emiko!" He said, exasperated, and took the warm toast from her gratefully before easing the strap of his bag onto one shoulder.

"I am gonna be so late-"Emiko slapped him between his shoulder and spine merrily, "I think-" and drew back with a gasp as he cried out, then gritted his teeth, his hand automatically covering the growth. After a shaky breath he tried to cover, "Ah, I'm just going to go now-"He stood up and opened the door but she put her hand over his on the brass knob and closed it. "Aisoku." He put his bag down on the table in the doorway and seemed to flinch as she said softly, "Take off your shirt, please."

He protested, "But I…" and she said his name again in a way that he knew meant business. She could see how hard he was trying (and succeeding) to stop his fingers from shaking as he undid each white uniform button. Then he pulled it over his head with a smooth motion and held it against his chest. "There."

She shook her head, her hands smoothing her skirt down. "Turn around." He looked like she'd just told him to jump off a cliff, but turned slowly so she could see.

Emiko reached out and put her hand gently against one of them, then whispered, "Oh, Aisoku…" and felt him shudder. He stared at the floor with eyes like polished purple jewels as she explored them and finally said quietly but firmly, "Mom, I'm scared." Emiko wrapped her hands around his waist and pulled him close, being careful not to put any pressure on his back. "I know, Honey. But I know just who to call to help you." She ushered him upstairs and put him in bed after calling the school and telling them he'd gotten sick. "But I can still go to school!" He objected and she put her hand on his chest, then led him upstairs.

"Oh, and I'm the only one who's going to pat you on the back?" He looked sideways "Thought so. Now stay here, lay on your belly and read these-" She stacked a pile of girlish-looking manga on his bed and he blanched. "Mom!" But before he could finish she was already gone so he glanced left, then right, before reaching under his bed and retrieving his Hellsing novel.

He then put it down as his right …swelling twitched and pulled both arms underneath so his shoulder blades were spread wide apart- he felt most comfortable like this, but also felt a strange pressure. Both of them felt like muscles that needed to be used and so for the first time, experimentally he tried to pull them deeper into his back. He felt them obey and his skin slackened gratefully. "Oh man…" He muttered and let them relax once more as two shallow curves. Now that he thought about it both of his parents- his real parents had wings so it would make sense… _But I…_ He didn't want wings…

Aisoku shook his head and snatched up the novel again,_ I just hope, if they are really wings…they don't come out like they do in my dreams._

It was always the same- they slid out of his skin and unfolded like a fast-forward blooming rose, always dripping a clear fluid. His back always ached during these dreams and sometimes it was so bad it took him hours to get back to sleep. He hated the pain, but the part afterword where it changed to him flying above Azumano, that was alright. His back throbbed longingly "Ah…" and he winced, waiting until the hot rush inside his chest subsided. Lately, that had also accompanied the pangs from his…wing buds? Yeah, something like that. Once it did he scooted over to one side of the bed then fished around in his feather necklace in the desk, then slipped it over his head and felt immediate relief. _I wonder if either of you even know this is happening to me…_ He thought and added privately, _I wonder what they'll look like._

Well, black and white right? So that'd be a nice plain old-grey. _Ugh_.

Downstairs Emiko waited as the phone rang three times before her son finally picked up. "Mom? What is it?" He was a little surprised she'd called because she tried to keep her distance after spending the first few years of their marriage begging for grandchildren. "Hi honey! I'll get right to the point- has Dark manifested in Kyo yet?" The redhead paused. "Um, yes, but-" She asked quickly, "Could I speak to him please?" and Daisuke tried to explain, "Emiko, he…" but buckled as his other said sternly. "Now, Daisuke. It's about his son."He went upstairs to his son's room and knocked on the door. They'd decided to home school him for a year just to make his stealing life a little easier. "Is something wrong? Is he ok?" Kyo emerged from his bedroom looking sleepy and Daisuke held the phone against his chest.

"Sorry, Kyo, but could you transform? Emiko needs to talk to Dark." He pouted and crossed his arms "Da-ad! I just went out thieving yesterday and he tried to pick up some girl on the way home!" Dark muttered, _Woulda worked too if 'someone' didn't have his braces still on. _Daisuke and his son colored.

"I know how he is- but it's important. It's about Aisoku." As soon as Dark heard his sons name Kyo's body suddenly swayed into his control under a fierce tide of protectiveness. He brushed long purple bangs from his eyes and smirked at Daisuke, taking in his late twenties figure.

"You finally filled out eh? Took ya' long enough."Daisuke flushed again and shoved the phone at him.

"Oh shut up. You could have said something a little more touching for our reunion." The thief smirked and cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear, his thumbs hooked into his jeans. "Hey Emiko. What's up?" It was so odd for her to hear his voice after all these years and she hesitated before explaining as best she could,

"Dark, I found two little-_things _between your son's shoulder blades this morning." The phantom's eyes narrowed and he leaned into the door frame and crossed his arms. "Uh, things?" The elder Niwa sat down into a chair in their kitchen and nodded. Her hands were shaking.

"…w-wings. I could feel the joints at the top and they way they curve down his back and-" She broke off with a sound and Dark said softly,

"Emiko calm down. It's not like…" His eyes wandered over to the window in the hallway. "We didn't think this would happen eventually." She tried to compose herself, "So they're really going to be…" and he felt his own ebony wings prickle under his skin as he answered, "Yeah, they are." He was still shook up himself. Both he and Krad had been 'born' knowing how to control their powers, but for Aisoku it was a different story. "What should I do?" Despite himself he answered honestly.

"I'd call up Satoshi and ask him about it. I'll talk to Krad myself but… He may have some theory on what to expect." He gave her the Hikari's number and hung up, then handed the phone back to Daisuke. The redhead immediately asked, "Is he okay?" and Dark admitted, "He is right now, but… I guess he's growing wings."

As expected Daisuke's reaction was explosive. "WHAT?" Dark shouted back, "Ah shaddup willya! He's not your kid!" It felt good to be yelling at him again just like old times. Daisuke pinched between his eyebrows together and asked, " But shouldn't you go and see if that's…I mean, he doesn't even…"

Dark chucked in a way that wasn't really amused at all. "Dai…he doesn't even know me." He went into Kyo's room and shut the door, then sat down on his red comforter and as he opened a link with Krad. _Oi! Krad! _Silence. He knew the blonde was ignoring him so he threatened, _If you don't answer I'm gonna start singing. _

Still nothing. He took a deep breath and began _Your beauty is beyond compare… _He paused to change the lyrics to fit the blonde. _…with flaming locks of wheaten hair, with ivory skin and eyes of icterine. _He felt irritation on their link and continued. _Your smile is like a breath of spring, your voice is soft like summer rain and- _

_You know I loathe Dolly Parton! What do you want? _Krad snapped at him and he replied smoothly,

_Just wanted to let you know that apparently, Aisoku is growing wings. _His other half went silent again and Dark was about to start singing again when he ventured, _Actual, physical wings? _And Dark added,

_Yep. Emiko found out this morning. She could feel the joints and everything._ Dark startled as a sudden rush of concern from Krad's side washed through him, then stopped suddenly as if Krad had noticed. _Has there been any change in his powers? _The thief paused. _I don't think so. We both felt that increase about a week ago but… _Krad swallowed thickly. _We will have to be very careful about this. If all that power manifests at once- I will talk to Satoshi and- _The phantom told him he'd already given Satoshi's number to Emiko and Krad said dangerously low. _Excuse me? _Then he barked, _And who gave you the right to hand out that number like a pamphlet? You know they do not- _The thief retorted, _I know ,ok? But he'd probably got a hell of a lot better idea what's going to happen than me. _

Krad's tamer had begun to pick up on their conversation so the blonde merely said, _We will discuss this later. _and cut out. Dark sat in Kyo's room with his hands on his knees and thought that while he'd been talking with Krad he could have sworn he actually felt Aisoku's presence, as if he and Krad were remotely connected.

He had no such connection to their son and wondered why the white angel did, or if he was just imagining things. No, he was fairly sensitive to that sort of thing.

Was it because he was the one who had actually carried him? Hell he'd never even heard of an artwork giving birth to another artwork until Krad had been 'cursed'. Maybe that was normal. "Augh…" He didn't want to think about it and especially didn't want to reflect on the grain of jealousy in his chest. Right now they just needed to find out what was going to happen to him...

Dark shuddered and let his tamer take back over his body, hoping that with all of his experience he would know what to expect. Kiryu Satoshi's son, was helpful too but he hadn't inherited as much of the knowledge as his father had, presumably because Satoshi and Risa had also had a daughter three years later. It was just a theory but Dark guessed it was because of his status as the last Hikari- now that they had a larger family it was okay for the information to be distributed between the siblings. _Yeesh you're doing a lot of deep thinking. _Kyo muttered as he went back to his novel and it broke Dark's train of thought. _Who is this Aisoku guy anyway? _

Dark rubbed his hands together- he was seriously going to enjoy dropping the bomb on the poor Niwa.

_Oh, he's just the lovechild I made with Krad. _

Kyo's pencil snapped in two and his eye twitched madly as his body froze. _Wha-wha… _

"WHAAAAT!"

Dark remained silent as the boy leaped up from the chair, knocking it over in his haste to get to the door.

"DAAAD! DARK JUST TOLD ME-" When he flung the door open Daisuke was already there and he tried to calm his son-"Kyo, calm down! Just tell me what he said."

Kyo was breathing fast and he took a breath as his eyes glittered angrily. There was no way this was the truth! "Dark said this 'Aisoku' is his kid that he made with KRAD!" Exhausted, he slumped and held onto the door frame with both hands as Daisuke stared at him and admitted, "W-well, Dark didn't exactly lie…it is the truth."Kyo wailed, "That's physically impossible!" and his father led him to his bed, sitting him down and patting his back. "Yea, but- I guess I should have told you earlier…I'll just start from the beginning okay?Just sit quiet and listen." Kyo sniffed in a very Daisuke-like way and nodded and after a second Daisuke began,

"Well, you know I was Dark's tamer once already. He and I had gone to steal a statue called the Hatsu Shibou and since Satoshi was the commander of the police force Krad was there too." As Dark sat in Kyo's mind and listened he realized all over again how incredible the story was.

His worst enemy, out of sync with him in every way giving him what no one else could…He hadn't mentioned it to anyone, but had begun to suspect that he was sterile- in a life far off and away from all this he had tried for a child once, with his love, and failed. In fact, she had miscarried, and so he had dropped the idea for fear of harming her more. Of course back then no one could really tell whose fault it was. But considering that magic harmed humans when it was used, and a little embryo would certainly have no way of controlling it…

He sighed happily as he thought of her and laid down in Kyo's mind into a simple bed of black sheets and pillows, stretching his wings.

_Hn, I wonder what color your wings will be, kid. Might be selfish, but- _Dark folded one wing over his body and finished as he closed his eyes,

I'm_ sincerely rooting for black. A nice, deep black that reflects every color, like the night. _

* * *

Yay I finally came out with it!Read and review please! icitrine is yellow btw.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the long wait everyone- I promise the next chapter will be longer!

Another week passed and Aisoku continued staying home from school. He didn't want to but his wings were getting so large he was having trouble doing simple things- even reaching up to put a shirt on had turned into a white-hot, painful ordeal. Any time his shoulder blades came together it sent his body into agony so these last few days he'd ditched the idea of a shirt altogether. He was laying on his belly now with his head to one side, watching the red numbers on his clock.

Eleven at night…Sweat trickled down from between his shoulders and the very center of his palms burned with the same fire under his sternum.

Aisoku groaned- it was particularly bad tonight. He brought his palm up to his face in the darkness. It looked sort of…bluish in the very middle.

Blinking, he flexed his fingers and made a fist, then opened it again. It was still there. "What…" He held his hand just an inch above the blankets and just barely, the light blue tinge colored the fabric. _Well, great. Apparently I'm radioactive. _The pain continued to build and as it did the light got brighter. Aisoku panted, realized something was flowing down his arm and he pointed his hand in the only safe direction he could think of- the window.

As he drew in, searching for the core of this power his hand exploded in a mass of blue-white fire and he screamed.

* * *

As Satoshi sat and discussed the possibilities of Aisoku's magic with Krad, via Kiryu, they abruptly stopped talking and turned their heads.

Krad raised an eyebrow, patted the black familiar in his lap and commented, "Ah. You can still sense magic being used."

The little fox yawned and mewled, "Ryuuu…" happily. After all he'd been waiting fourteen years to be reunited with his master. Satoshi nodded and opened his mouth just as Krad answered, "It was Aisoku." The bluenette pushed his glasses up the ridge of his nose.

"Well there goes one theory. If you don't mind me asking, why are we still-" The blonde grinned.

"Connected? I haven't the slightest. We must have bonded more than the average Tamer and host, or perhaps…" The Hikari's emotions came through to him- anger and fear for his son, and something so raw just seeing the angel again that it was blocked off the moment Krad caught a tendril of it.

"This leaves two then. He will either learn how to control the magic as it grows or-"Krad finished. "Have no control, the result of being conceived in a human body." Satoshi glared. "Stop doing that." Yellow eyes flashed in amusement and he picked up the leather bound book beside the Hikari's pale elbow.

"There were no other cases like mine?" His old partner shook his head once.

" None. A few came close but never actually achieved a living human form. At least not for long." A single orchid-white finger tapped the black leather.

"I will take this up to your son's room to see if you overlooked anything." Satoshi nodded and stood along with him and as the blonde opened the basement door he murmured, "Krad." The artwork turned and his ponytail swung through the air, the picture of health and youth. "Thank you for being careful with my son." Satoshi felt a kind of bitter, cynical laughter seeping from Krad.

"I wouldn't thank me just yet." It wasn't a threat or a promise, merely a statement but it still chilled the air between them.

Pure gold met metallic blue, and then Krad was gone, his familiar Rai curled comfortably around his shoulders.

* * *

The glass shattered and fell like chunks of silver and some of them drew little red lines in Aisoku's skin as they came down. He was preoccupied with just what was blasting out of his left hand. The magic forked across the black sky, searing his corneas and singing the neighbor's roof tiles.

_Stop, please stop! _He closed his hand but for a half- second longer it continued to blast and he dropped to the floor when it finally stopped, holding his hand.

Both Emiko and Kosuke burst in at that moment and crouched down beside him. She spoke first. "Aisoku, what happened? You broke the window…"

Which wasn't entirely accurate. He also broke the window frame. It was scorched black and as he watched a few bits fell onto the carpet and disintegrated.

"Yeah." Was this what shock felt like, this numbness? On the other hand, he did feel a little better now. That pressure had finally died. Emiko noticed a thin red trickle down the hand he was favoring and tried to take it into hers- he snatched it back. "Don't! You'll …get hurt."He curled it into a fist grit his teeth. It kind of felt burned, especially the fingers. Kosuke murmured, "I'll go and get some wrapping for that." And Aisoku realized that Emiko was still holding him. "I'm fine." She snorted.

"Tell me what happened, honey." He didn't like the pet name, but it was an accurate description of his hair color so it had stuck. Instead of speaking right away he put his hand flat on the carpet and carefully inched it open. No explosion. Nothing. The bluish light was still there though and it seemed brighter than before. He wondered if it would ever go away, or if he'd have his own personal nightlights forever. The thought depressed him. "I don't know. I just felt this pressure down my arm and then this…stuff-" "Magic." Kosuke corrected. "Magic went out of control." His back, as if deciding he wasn't in enough pain suddenly twisted and throbbed sickeningly.

He almost fell to all fours, "Aah…" and he felt her touch the new nerves of his wings gently. It subsided, inch by inch and he sat up. He was really getting sick of these little… "Aisoku-kun, you should just let them out." He didn't understand how she could possibly think that was a good idea. "They're not ready yet."

This fact seemed hard wired into his brain, and even as he spoke he knew it was the truth. Right now they were only covered in thin down and in the Japanese winter, would probably freeze even with heating. _But soon. _This was also a fact and he shuddered as Kosuke reentered the room and hid the feeling as Kosuke began to wrap his hand. Kosuke then tapped his wife's shoulder. "Honey, go back to bed. I'll take care of this."She glanced at him, then at Kosuke and kissed his forehead before smoothing her pajamas and shutting the door behind her. As the gauze wound around his fingers his adopted father tied the fabric and tapped one finger in the center of Aisoku's palm. "When did this appear?" The black-haired Niwa put an arm over his thin shoulders and Aisoku put his hand back against his chest, tightly.

"Um, about half an hour ago…" The older man waited until the slight tremble left his body. "Do you think that will happen again?" He honestly didn't know, but since he felt less…powerful now he ventured, "I don't think so." Kosuke ruffled his blonde hair and stood, then hauled the boy to his feet.

"I think we should look deeper into this tomorrow. Do you think you'll be able to get back to sleep, Aisoku?" The blonde swallowed.

"Is this going to get worse?" A sigh. "I don't know. Sorry, but…I really don't know what's going to happen. But we'll help you when it does."

They stared at each other for a little while, then set to work fixing the busted-out window as best they could. When it was taped up and sealed Kosuke gave him a quick hug and cleared off. He crawled into bed and pulled the covers up to his chest, then lay flat on his belly and fiddled with the chain of his ever-present necklace.

_Damn. Sometimes I wish you weren't so honest… _

His wings- he wasn't going to pussyfoot around that fact anymore- twitched and settled and he buried his face in the pillow.

* * *

Thanks to Sapphiet, RosalieCullenHale1,FF19, Lady Fai, InuYashaFreak, D. an Angel, and Liolette of the void..


	3. Chapter 3

As Krad lay in the fourteen-year-olds bed, his luxurious locks draped over one shoulder, Rai licked his ear. He startled out of his trance and petted the sleek creature behind his ears. "Hn. I missed you too." Closing the book, he tapped his fingers gently on the cover and sighed. He'd found a case the Hikari hadn't noticed but as he'd suspected, the human had been overwhelmed by the magic and destroyed. White Wings crossed his arm over his abdomen absent-mindedly.

_When I…became 'cursed' I didn't think excessively about the future for Aisoku. I hope our lineage doesn't hurt him. _It stung to think of that so he picked the book back up and scooted deeper into the covers. His tamer Kiryu muttered sleepily, _Krad, what are you thinking about? _and he smiled a little. It felt strange because he hadn't in such a long time. _I'm thinking about my little boy. _He felt his tamer's response, a kind of timid curiosity. _Don't worry yourself; it is not…hopefully will not become an obstacle._ Kiryu stretched in the recesses of his mind. _Oh. Well, night then. _It amused Krad how awkward his wing master still was in his presence. _Good night. _

He opened the book again.

* * *

The intense relief as the limb finally had more room than it had ever experienced. The thick pulse as the cramped blood vessels loosened and expanded along with the damp joints. The other wing followed, stretched, and then settled in behind him, brushing the back of his head with soft feathers. "Ahck-"

Aisoku sat up and panted, then put his face in his hands and curled up his legs.

Every. Single. Day this was happening and apparently now he was even daydreaming about it. He rubbed his eyes and reached for his manga but after a few seconds set it back down. His hands were shaking so badly the stupid book practically jumped out of his hands. For some reason his heart was pounding and as he gathered his legs up to stand they suddenly gave way. As best he could he lowered himself to the floor. One of his wings had stretched- not shakily like before but solidly as if testing the elasticity of Aisoku's skin. It hurt so much he didn't have time to do or say anything besides react. He gritted his teeth to keep any noise from escaping and tried to relax. _So you're finally going to come out…? _A weird sort of thrill went through him that changed to nausea as the limb moved again, and a tiny needle-sized tear appeared in his skin. If he'd had enough strength to yell he would have but what came out instead was a surprised noise far too quiet to attract any attention.

Even the rise and fall of his ribs hurt now, but nothing compared to this feeling between his shoulders. Through the whitish-red streaks of pain that blurred his vision he realized the carpet fibers in front of him had a blue tint. Well the ones about a foot from his face at least. More seemed to be changing color…It was his right wing that stretched next and as his hands tightened into fists he saw playful white tendrils of something reach up fro the carpet and caress his desk. _What is that?_

_

* * *

_

_Crash!_

Kyo stood above the broken glass with an empty hand and frowned. Generally he was not a clumsy person but Dark had just uttered an insult abut a person's lineage, something about interbreeding, that involved words he didn't even know were swear words. Daisuke peeked in from around the corner of the kitchen. "Is everything alright?" Before he could finish Dark had taken over and he answered quickly, "No, it's not. I need to leave, right now. Wizu!" As the little creature landed on his shoulder Daisuke grabbed his arm. "Wait! Is it Aisoku?"

The phantom thief's eyes locked with round red rubies, and he said lowly, "Stay here with Riku, okay? I'll keep your son safe."

Then, in the habit of phantom thieves, he was gone, a few black feathers drifting down onto their carpet.

* * *

Krad closed the book again and patted Rai's head,. The little fox had fallen asleep squished between the pillow and the blonde's shoulder. Just then, fear and pain that was not his own coursed through his chest and shoulders, and he laid one hand where his right wing usually manifested. _What? This is not my pain, my wings are still …Aisoku. _He shot out of he7is tamer's bed and almost flew downstairs, then found who he was looking for drinking hot chocolate in the kitchen.

"Satoshi, you must come with me now. Kyo is not as skilled with barriers and we will be needing one." The commander put his mug down.

"Barrier? And why should I help with that endeavor?" Krad bared his teeth in frustration, a habit that he didn't indulge in very often. "If your fine with half of Azumano becoming a smoking crater by morning, then stay." "You're exaggerating." The White Wings walked past him and opened the front door, thankful that the fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife. It would make it easier to fly undetected. "I certainly hope so." Krad muttered and Satoshi approached him. "How do you even expect to transport me? You're not very fond of cars-" He didn't get a chance to finish as Rai transformed and bonded into his master's back. The wings filled the doorway almost completely and each feather gleamed with the soft golden-white of his magic. Satoshi had forgotten how much…presence Krad held in a room. "Like this."

Krad said simply and without another word scooped the Hikari into his arms and took off. As the ground dropped away dizzyingly below them and disappeared beneath the mist Krad felt Satoshi's hand tighten, painfully, around his shoulder. The blonde fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I didn't know you were afraid of heights, Satoshi." The bluenette adjusted his fogged glasses angrily. "Excuse me, we are not-"

"On a first name basis? But oh, I think we are." They picked up speed and Satoshi's hair plastered in a glittering helmet while Krad's trailed behind him in long salty tentacles. "No, and furthermore…" Beneath them the clouds and revealed the flat black water of the bay, the white caps looking as small as blades of glass. Satoshi swallowed deeply. "Close your eyes, Hikari. I will not drop you." His former partner didn't believe him for a second but out of a simple desire to not throw up on both of them he did.

It wasn't at all like it had been in his dreams. What it was…was painfully slow, like nails dragging across a chalkboard and as each second passed he could feel his strength thinning. Every once in a while his skin would split a few more centimeters and the slack would immediately be filled by a bit more of his new wings. He wanted it to be over. He wanted to just force them both out of his body in one quick movement, like stretching his arms. But the same instinctual voice that had told him to wait before told him now that it was a bad idea. The little white flickers he'd seen before were still growing and seemed to be everywhere but the patch of carpet where he lay. Aisoku realized he should probably be freaking out but at a certain point of pain, he realized that would be a waste of energy. Even when they touched his body they didn't hurt- they just tingled. All the other things in his room melted under the strange fire's touch. He wished he could yell to tell his foster parents to get out of the house. The carpet and most of his furniture was burnt black now but there was no smoke. Just after that thought his back split open again in what felt like a few inches and somewhere in his mind he screamed. Then he curled his hands up and spread his shoulder blades farther apart. _Wait… _

He watched the brilliant flames waver in front of his eyes and saw another color mixed in with the white. It also had that same electric blue that emanated from each of his palms. _Emiko and Kosuke went out shopping... _In his relief his left wing escaped from its fleshy prison in a single liquid burst. _Thank God, thank God… _

He felt like laughing and crying at the same time, but first things first. This time when he cried out it rang in his ears, parched his throat and eventually ended in a dry, sandpapery hiss.

* * *

Dark detected Krad's presence from across the bay and growled mutedly. The inside of his skull was burning with the warning of new magic and yet his other half suddenly faltered, about halfway across the water. Said angel's left wing snapped up against his body as Aisoku's pain shot through him. With that single muscle contraction they began to drop. "Au-gh!" "Krad!" Satoshi cried out in terror as the deadly cold water rushed up to meet them. White Wings loosened his connection with his son, like letting out a length of rope and forced his wing back out. The wind caught them and straightened them out in an instant.

After a moment, Krad coughed. "Hikari your hurting my ribs." He relaxed his arms from their death-grip on Krad and blushed faintly. "You really shouldn't have closed your eyes." The blonde commented helpfully. "It's always a good idea to-" "_You_ told me to!" The Hikari seethed.

"I didn't. It was a suggestion." Krad replied haughtily and his wings took great rowing strokes to get them back up to speed. "I am way too old for this."

Satoshi muttered under his breath and Krad couldn't help but chuckle. "Now you know, on an infinitesimal scale, how I feel." He glanced up but Krad's yellow eyes were busy searching for landmarks in their small town and didn't meet his. Then he realized he didn't need landmarks. The sheer scale of manifesting magic made it as easy for him to find Aisoku as a torch in the dark. A good twenty rooftops away his eyes caught a blackish purple streak heading in the same direction as him.

_**About time you got here! **_The thief snarled in Kyo's mind and the poor new tamer nearly wet himself. _K-Krad who was that? _

_Its fine, Kyo. That's just Dark Mousy, the thief. He is no threat to us. _To Dark, he answered crossly, _Way to scare my new Tamer. Try to focus your messages instead of yelling at both of us- we're dealing with magic, not bombs, governor. _Dark growled something else under his breath and then noticed the man in Krad's arms.

_**Oi, why'dja bring the old dried-up Commander? **_The blonde shook his head at Dark's disrespect for the elderly. _We'll need his barriers and seals. Specifically, an illusion barrier- and a power seal-might be useful._ They both landed on the steps at the front door and Krad pointed to Aisoku's bedroom, where the white fire had begun to show through the siding. "That's why." Dark's eyes widened even as he slipped a hairpin into the door and jiggled it open. Satoshi went in first and immediately snatched up a permanent marker from the desk near the entrance. Krad stepped in afterwards and watched as Satoshi began tracing out an illusion spell over Emiko's carpets and hardwood floors. He paused for a half-second to banish his wings and handed a tiny bead of his magic to the Hikari, smaller than a marble but a thousand times brighter. The blunette gave him a simple nod and placed the marble on the outer edge of the circle. Then Dark saw the black circle.

"Emiko's going to kill you-"He saw something outside the house and as his eyes registered what they were he dashed inside with a single word.

"Vultures."

The thief banished his wings and turned to the Hikari. "Are you-"

"Done." Satoshi said firmly, his hair drying and lifting slightly as the spell took hold. The blue of his eyes flared and Krad thought fleetingly _So, the magic resides in you still. _Then he climbed up the stairs after Dark. "Idiot!" He barked and jerked the thief back by his arm before he opened the door, then traced a dingle finger around the door frame in an attempt to keep the magic contained in Aisoku's room. "What if your magic reacts with his? Or rejects it?" The Kaitou jerked one tan bicep out of his grip. "I don't give a damn! We don't have time for plans! Those leeches are going to such him dry if I don't get in there now!" With that he gritted his teeth against the hot metal of the doorknob and jerked it open. The white flames billowed out and Dark's magic curled up in a protective cocoon around him, allowing him to step forward.

Krad shut the door with his foot. The "leeches" were really failed or destroyed Hikari artworks that searched out and fed off of magical energy.

They were harmless to Dark and himself and avoided their two signatures, but to Aisoku… Still, it was best if they weren't both in there with him at the same time because there was no way of knowing how Aisoku's power would react. _I can feel your fear, but it's alright, we're here now._

Through the thin black ribbons that protected his body he could see the 'leeches' from across the room. They stood out as semi-transparent shadows between the white flames and their pathetic paper-thin voices tittered at the edges of his mind. _**Best if you don't hear this, Kyo. Maybe you should just take a nap for a while. **_Kyo protested a little, but quickly slipped into the recesses of Dark's mind and the voices became more pronounced.

_There is the boy._

_His power will be mine. _

_**No, minelifeblood bodymine. **_

Then he saw a six by to foot area devoid of flames, saw his son pull himself to a semi-sitting position despite the weight of two new, bloodied wings. One of the shadowed beings reached out to Aisoku, brushing the flames aside in irritation and suddenly Dark was upon him. He yanked the artwork back though a headlock that would have broken a human's neck and through his rage, his other self surfaced. In the time it took for the artwork to cry out the noise was cut off as he was simply absorbed into the thief's body. Dark shoved his other self back into his mind with a snarl, then sent the excess magic to Wiz and concealed a shudder. He hated it when that happened- it went against all his morals. Yet, his other side had no qualms whatsoever abut consuming the weak. After a moment the animal relaxed back onto his shoulder again and the other artworks cleared off.

He looked up as himself again and saw eyes so startlingly similar to his that the hairs on his neck stood up. Aisoku had looked up just as the shadow creature had reached for him and watched as the other…artwork? Demon, more likely…consumed it, somehow pulling the other into itself. The only Dark that he had seen was the side that 'hunted its own race' and he was terrified. "G-Get away!" He shouted and the flames that until now had been calm flared up, knocked the phantom off his feet and through the door out Aisoku's bedroom. The Kaitou slid down the wall of the hallway, still smoking, and Krad crossed his arms. "Did I not tell you." There were pretty little lights winking in front of Dark's eyes and he sincerely hoped he hadn't given Kyo a concussion.

"Ngh. See 'f you'd do 'ny better…" He slurred, cupped his head and pushed Krad into the flames "You bas-!" with his foot. _**Yo, you all right? **_His tamer answered feebly.

_**Uh..? You! Stop abusing my body, you womanizing**__-_

_**Alright, good. **_Dark let out a snort and waited until the lights had faded away and the headache subsided into something relatively manageable. Then he dove back into the fire. Back in the bedroom things were still chaos. Krad heard a low creak of wood from above them and tightened his connection with Aisoku. He didn't have time to get thrown like Dark- they needed to get out of here. _Aisoku? _The pain almost crippled Krad but he clenched his fists, gritted his teeth and bore it. The flames parted slightly and he caught the curve of a dove grey wing, dyed white in this light. _Aisoku!_

…_What_...He felt hesitation, and then his son reached out with his mind as he tried to figure out who the voice belonged to. …_Dad? _The fire died down enough for the blonde to take a few steps forward and a chunk of ceiling fell to the floor, leaving open an oval of darkness.

_Yes. _

Aisoku pulled his feet under him and somehow stood as the fire around them flickered away to nothing but half-inch tongues. Dark watched them both from the corner of the room using his shadow-blending trick. He didn't want to scare Aisoku again. Krad's cat gold eyes met the boys and he rasped again, "Dad?" as if he didn't believe him. Through the matted blood Krad could see the soft grayish blue feathers and the way that, as the wings drew out further, the color changed into strict black-and-white stripes at the primaries. "Your wings are magnificent." Krad murmured softly, then flipped his wing over himself and jerked the other out to cover Aisoku as the ceiling collapsed in on all of them. _At least the roof is still standing. _Krad though, then added, _The beams anyway. _Then he tilted his wing slowly so a section of the ceiling slid off and shook the splinters out. The snow-white appendage half-curved around Aisoku's body.

It glowed in the light of the moon, which filtered through the barrier around the house Satoshi had constructed. "Are you all right?" the boy shied away from the limb and nodded vaguely. He hadn't even seen the wing when it snapped out to protect him. "I…" He trailed off as his arm caught his eye. It looked as if his skin was gathering up the light of the full moon, as well as the reflection off Krad's white feathers. "Uh oh…" Nearly as soon as the words escaped from his mouth his form blurred, split and disappeared as little streaks of moonlight.

"The Hell!" A pair of rough amethysts glittered near the reddish streaks of a charred wall. "Where'd he go?"

Aisoku had, quite unintentionally it seemed, used one of Krad's more draining tricks. In strong light he could hide himself and become insubstantial, like mist.

It was basically the opposite of Dark's shadow performance. Krad turned to him and his salt-encrusted hair stuck to his neck in a glittering wheaten rope.

"To Kokuyoku." The darkness swore, disappeared and Krad walked along the wood beams of the floor to Aisoku's vacant door frame. Satoshi met him there, looking a little drained from the illusion spell. "You might want to inform Emiko and Kosuke about-" The blunette tapped his cell phone once, "I already have." and Krad smirked. "Well, well. The damage is mostly in this room. You can reduce the illusion to the top level." The Hikari watched as Krad went over and snapped on a hallway light, but by the time his corneas had recovered from the flash White Wings was gone.

Um, comments later. For now, review please!And thanks for reviewing before! XD


	4. Chapter 4

Although Dark didn't know the exact location of what was left of Kokuyoku, it wasn't hard for him to find. The piece seemed to pull at him and as he worked his way down a narrow, long-forgotten Hikari passageway, he was drawn to it like a moth to flame. Usually he avoided it at all costs because its goal was to reabsorb both Krad and himself, to undo the damage that was done. He didn't like the feelings here either. It felt like he was walking on someones grave. Well, hundreds of unmarked ones if he wanted to be literal. _**Damn, I wish I'd brought a jacket. **_Goosebumps covered his arms and he rubbed his hands along them roughly, shuddering as a single droplet of freezing water snaked down his neck. _**Why would Aisoku go to Kokuyoku? **_Kyo asked curiously as his other half passed through some cobwebs and a burnt-out seal. _**I'm sure it wasn't on purpose. **_The thief replied quietly. _**Most likely it just- **_He stopped as the passageway opened into an enormous vaulted cavern and glanced around.

* * *

Although the light trick was useful to Krad there was one obvious drawback. He couldn't manifest anywhere where their wasn't light and the Kokuyoku rested in an underground chamber, beneath the remains of a Hikari mansion. Krad reappeared in the middle of moss-covered oak beams in a clearing, all that was left of a once glorious estate. Kiryu squeaked in surprise and relief, and Krad chuckled as he turned over rocks and boards with a foot as he searched for something. _Everything alright master? _

Kiryu swallowed, his brown hair sticking up as if he'd been electrocuted. _Don't ever do that again, please. _The blonde let out a little approving noise and crouched down next to a rock he'd just flipped over. In the bare dirt where the rock had been there was a faint metallic glimmer. As the White Wings cleared the dirt away Kiryu snarked, _What, we came here so you could dig a hole to China? _And Krad clicked his tongue. _No respect. Learn your place, boy. Did it occur to you our masterpiece might be heavily guarded? Did you get an inkling that it would be very bad for the Hikari's and the Niwa's if it was discovered by a regular human? _Just as Krad cleared off the last streaks of dirt five small round openings appeared in the sculpted metal. _I did, but- what are those__**? **_Before he could finish Krad had stuck the fingers of his right hand into the five holes. _AAH! What are you doing?_His tamer cried and watched in horror as Krad's entire hand was pulled underground.

_Hush. It's just verifying that I am a Hikari. _He said in an almost bored tone. The machine within massaged his index finger until the blood pooled, and then he felt a sharp prick. _What happens if you aren't a Hikari? _Krad chuckled darkly and examined the bandage on his finger after the machine released it. It was adorned with a bright-green Batman band-aid. _I don't remember Satoshi programming that. _The ground in front of him suddenly began to split in a twelve foot line.

It drew back to both sides and revealed a gaping black hole, adorned with faint wisps of a barrier around the edges. _Is the barrier to keep other artworks out? _

Krad shook his head as the familiar on his shoulder morphed into his wings. _It is to keep its magic in. _Instead of jumping to fly as he usually did Krad let himself simply fall off the edge with the reckless abandon of a skydiver. His tamer closed his eyes and prayed for both of them to live, and Krad almost smiled as he spread his wings, flared them and landed gracefully onto the concrete. Even the dim light from the hole, a good 50 feet up was enough for him to see. He folded his wings one at a time and touched the blank canvas just as his other half appeared in a passageway, shaking cobwebs out of his hair. "Hey, you ain't getting' all the glory- I'm going too." Krad snorted, then narrowed his eyes as the thief asked, "Your sure he's in there right?"

The yellow in his gaze hardened and he put a hand against his sternum for a moment. "Yes. He is so…scared." His hand tightened into a fist.

Dark made his way through the foot-thick chains anchoring Kokuyoku down and nodded at Krad, doing a good job of concealing his own apprehension. Even by itself the painting was a master of illusions and would try to trick them as best it could. They both banished their tamers just before they passed through and Dark grabbed Krad's ponytail discreetly- he didn't want them to be separated. It was like passing through a sheet of ice-cold metal. Dark blinked and rubbed his eyes, then dropped the ponytail in his other hand. They had arrived in some kind of ice caverns, where each faceted crystal was as big as a man and so closely packed they barely fit between them. "Wait, there he is!" The Kaitou laid both hands against a crystal on the floor and stared at the curled shape of his son inside. A humorless laugh issued from Krad and he pointed upwards. "I think not." Above them were hundreds upon thousands of the milky crystals and in each of them Aisoku lay curled.

They were everywhere above and below them. To Dark's fury, they all looked to him like the real thing. "Fuck!" A tan hand slammed into the nearest crystal and fragments tinkled to the floor. "How are we supposed to find him!" Krad turned to him with his eyebrows drawn together. "What do you mean?"

"What the Hell do you think I mean! All of them look just like-" The blonde touched one of the crystals, then began to make his way left. "No, they don't." Dark paused and squinted in the negligible light. "Your eyes look strange. And whaddya mean they don't!" Krad's pupils were so contracted they resembled tiny black dots.

He looked slightly more insane than usual. The blonde then frowned, "I don't feel different." and dismissed Dark's observation with a shrug.

"You can't tell that none of these are him?" Dark followed him as he worked through the maze of crystals, his boots sliding on the slick surfaces. "No. How can you?" White Wings glanced around momentarily before moving on. "I just can." Then he smirked at the thief. "For once, you'll have to trust me." The phantom muttered angrily under his breath but followed just behind him. They walked on for days, months, years it seemed, and as Dark's legs began to shake he muttered, "Alrighty, time for a break."

"No." Krad said automatically and his alter ego barked, "Why not!"

"We've only been walking for a half an hour."

"How do you know!"

"I've been counting. It's trying to make us feel like we've walked longer, trying to weaken us so we don't reach him." Dark noticed a silvery sheen of sweat on Krad's forehead and nose. With finality the angel said, "If we stop we will not get up again." They continued to walk. By the time Krad paused again both of them were panting and the blonde was holding his ribs with one hand. "H-here." He touched a crystal just about eye level and smiled wearily. It looked exactly the same as all the others to Dark. "But how…" The blonde swallowed.

"P-please. I carried his life within me for nine months. Of course I could pick him out from these imitations." Then he drove a fist into the crystal in an attempt to break it. It cracked about a foot and Krad shook his hand. "Aow." Dark sighed and moved him aside. "You did your best, Tinkerbelle." After he caught his breath he rasped, "Raaagh!" and drove both fists into the material. It cracked and a clearish fluid began to dribble out. "Yes!"

"Nice going Rambo." Krad snarled and helped him break through the remaining shards. Once the hole was big enough Krad slipped his arms underneath Aisoku's legs and shoulders and pulled him out. He was covered from head to toe in the viscous fluid and he wasn't breathing. "Why isn't he breathing!" Dark barked in alarm as Krad massaged his son's chest roughly and held him face down. "He will." A second later Aisoku began to cough and balanced on his own hands and knees. It was nearly a full minute and half a cup of fluid later before he began to breath normally again. The entire time, one of his fists remained firmly lodged in Krad's loose clothing. Finally he looked up at the blonde-haired man weakly and began, "I…" but Krad placed a finger to his own lips, and then scooped the boy up.

"Shh. Later. For now, just sleep." Krad placed his chin on Aisoku's head and stood slowly, smiling as he felt his son relax into him and fall into unconsciousness. Dark stared for a moment and wondered exactly where he fit in to that picture. Then the crystals above them began to disintegrate and shards as deadly as glass began to fall. One of them took a small chunk out of Dark's arm and he yelped. "The hell? I thought this was an illusion!" Krad spread his wings fully right through the crystal illusions surrounding them.

"It is! It only becomes a reality because you think it can hurt you, so concentrate!" Dark closed his eyes and suddenly he was able to spread his own wings and fly.

He opened his eyes again and the illusion disappeared, leaving only darkness and a square of light that was their escape. He flew until cold air greeted his face and Krad only relaxed when his feet met pavement. Beside him, Dark shook his wings out and looked over Krad's shoulder at Aisoku. "We gotta take him somewhere where the 'other' pieces won't come." Inside Krad's arms, Aisoku shivered and he covered him with a wing. "I was going to take him to the Aiyoku Mansion." It was a place all artworks like them avoided. Dark nodded and half stumbled suddenly as his human body screamed for rest. "I gotta go and get some sleep. Make sure you called Emiko…" He trailed off as he forgot what he was going to say and hesitantly put his hand on Aisoku's shoulder. "Thank God he's alright." He let out a shaky sound of relief then left with, "I'll come and check on both of you tomorrow…" weaving his way back to the passageway. Krad nodded and called both their butler Toro, to inform him the Mansion needed to be live-in ready in a half-hour and Risa, to let her know that Kiryu was still alive. She yelled at him for half an hour, but he was almost used to it by now.

By the time he landed behind the front gates he could barely walk and to his embarrassment had to be escorted to bed by Toro.

Out of convenience Toro gave them the bedroom with two twin beds and pulled the covers over both of their shoulders, making sure to dry Aisoku thoroughly before leaving him to sleep. As Krad's son slept his wings twitched and stretched, becoming new parts of his body, and he dreamed of flight more vividly than ever.

* * *

Dark snuck back into Daisuke and Riku's home and made it all the way to the stairs when a hand met his cheek in a violent way. He staggered back and held his wounded flesh in shock. "Ouch. Whad'd I do this time?" He muttered in a way that was tired, amused and slightly perverse all at the same time. "For making me wait this long to see if Kyo was okay!" She hissed and he realized she was wearing only a night gown and a loose robe. "Ngh. Sorry." He frowned at her for a moment, then grinned. "Your slaps are almost as enjoyable as your kisses." She raised up her hand again but he slipped into Kyo's form in a half-second, who looked around sleepily and touched his cheek. "Ow...mom?" Riku hugged her little boy and he gasped for air. "Alright already." He begged and she smiled, "Hmph. Off to bed then." and sent him upstairs with a playful push.

* * *

Kiryu woke up slowly, his senses returning one at a time. He was lying in a perfectly comfortable bed, but he could tell it wasn't his and as the room snapped into focus he realized someone was hear with him. They were in the other bed just a few feet from his, and their breathing was even and low. Whoever it was they also had two fluffy grey wings jutting from their back and Kiryu's mind suddenly recalled the events of yesterday. As it did Krad awoke and asked urgently for the use of their shared body. _What? Why? _

_Because he knows me. It will be trying enough for him to wake up in a place he doesn't recognize. _He hated to admit it but the angel had a good point. He felt awkward just being in the same room with Krad's son. _Fine. _He summoned up a picture of his crush Tsukiko, and after a few seconds Krad had taken control of their form. His familiar crooned at him and he lifted him up to his shoulders, where the little creature curled happily. Every fiber in his legs hurt, and so for a moment he closed his eyes and rested in an attempt to heal. He could heal himself, but for some reason not the wounds that the Kokuyoku had inflicted on him. Krad heard the sheets in the other bed shuffle and laid still as Aisoku awoke and took in his surroundings. "Where..."A part of Krad cheered at finally hearing his son's voice, while another noted that he sounded more like Dark than himself. He faked a slow stretch before opening his eyes and immidiately Aisoku piped up, "Um, dad?"

"Call me Krad, please. Kosuke was more of a father to you than I ever was." He sat up and Rai eyed Aisoku with interest. " But you're a 'curse', right? So it wasn't your fault. And you're my biological dad, strictly speaking so...Is it alright if I call you that?" The curse blinked at his directness and the fact that he didn't seem the least bit afraid of him, and a faint blush appeared. "Well, yes, if you want."

"Where are we?"

"The Aiyoku Mansion. One of many Hikari buildings. The failed artworks will not come for you here." The older teen watched in amusement as Aisoku stretched out one of his wings carefully until the tips touched the wall, staring forward in concentration. "Failed artworks?" White Wings nodded as he took in the room; the almost floor to ceiling windows framed with robin's egg blue curtains, the soft gold of the walls. He approved. "The shadow-like beings that came into your bedroom?" The boy tried to sit up but shuddered with pain as his shoulder blades pushed against his wing roots. "Nn-ow. The only one that really scared me was the one with purple eyes. These things had better become functional or..."

"They will." Krad chirped. " Probably within a few days if you get enough food and rest. Speaking of which..." He motioned for Aisoku to give him his hands. After a moment of hesitation, he did, and Krad drew a quick seal around both hands, placing two of his white feathers at each of Aisoku's wrists. The spell he'd written floated about a half inch from the boy's skin, and when he tried to touch it his hand passed through the script like air. " This will keep your power from surging out of control." A true smile showed up on Aisoku's face in a flash. "Really? Awesome! Thank you! Will I really...be able to fly with these?" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder in a very Dark-ish gesture. "Of course. What would the point of wings be if you couldn't?" He didn't have an answer and his blue-grey wings curled around him thoughtfully. He stroked the feathers absent-mindedly for a moment. It was still so hard believe these actually belonged to him. He hoped though that he'd be able to somehow retract them in order to wear shirts again. "Emiko and Kosuke-"

"I called both of them. They should be here around noon. And so will Dark."

"The phantom thief?" It was strange, but one of the shadow-beings, the one with the amethyst eyes, reminded him of Dark. As Krad got up to get them some food Aisoku asked, "So..."

"So what?"

"Isn't it physically impossible for me to have two dad's?" Krad's left eye twitched spastically. He had expected this question, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon. "Ill answer that when Dark gets here. It's a long story." Aisoku raised an eyebrow at Krad's strange reaction. "Just one more thing then...Which one of you, you know..." Krad blushed but the color drained away once Aisoku made a rounding motion over his abdomen. "Oh, carried you?"

"If that's what you want to call it..."

That strange vague smile crossed White Wings again. "I did."

"Did it hurt?" Krad pointed out gently, "That was more than one question, but to answer it... No. Sometimes you kicked really hard, or lodged yourself up near my ribs but..." He trailed off as he thought about it and Aisoku bowed his head. "I- sorry." To his surprise, Krad laughed and ruffled his hair. "Of all things, there is no need to apologise for that. I'll get us some breakfast now all right? How does pork benito sound?" Aisoku narrowed one jewel-like eye suspiciously. "That's my favorite."

Krad smirked, one single blonde lock blocking his eye, and just before he left he purred, "Mine too."


	5. Chapter 5

Toro nodded at Krad as he passed him into the kitchen and instructed, "I'd like to prepare this morning's meal if you don't mind terribly." His butler ran a hand through his curly black hair, straightened his sharp black outfit and nodded."You did get the ingredients for bento?" Toro's eyebrows drew together. "Yes, but...For breakfast, sir?" The blonde nodded and began setting out all the ingredients- rice, octopus, radish…He hummed a little as he worked and his servant raised an eyebrow. "…sir?" Krad opened a cabinet and put his long ponytail over one shoulder. "Hmm?"

"You seem…in high spirits." The curse put the rice-cooker on the counter. "I am just happy my son is here. You'll understand when you have children."

Toro folded his hands in front of him, a few curls obscuring his eyes. "Actually, sir…just yesterday, I found out my wife is pregnant." Cat eyes flicked up. "Ah! Congratulations. I'm sorry to have called you away on such short notice." White Wings said sincerely, a pair of chopsticks between his ivory teeth. "You may see to her whenever you like, just ask." He paused and took the chopsticks from his mouth. "Was their anything else?" Toro flushed, "No, sorry sir." and left and Krad finished the bento in less than half an hour. He carried it upstairs and after knocking, opened the door to their shared bedroom quietly. "Aisoku?" The boy had fallen back to sleep after Krad left and one wing had curled like a blanket over his shoulder.

His father set down their meals on the dresser and out of curiosity, ran his fingers over the delicate appendage. The feathers were soft like Krad's and also sleek, like Dark's, but the roots were still caked with dried blood. He wondered what they would look like spread in flight, the black-and-white striped edges against soft grey. White Wings guessed that the wings were still growing, so he would need to clean them. Both he and Dark had learned long ago that soiled feathers meant chills, and chills meant sickness. He moved the wing back halfway and his son slowly blinked awake. "…huh?" Aisoku's plum colored eyes widened and he made to scramble away until Krad assured, "It's alright, it's me." He relaxed and his misty wings curled up to his back. Krad blinked again- was he seeing things, or was that the same way the thief folded his own wings? "Oh, sorry…I was having a bad dream." Krad reached to the dresser and passed him his share of the bento.

"I'm sorry for startling you. Here, breakfast usually helps." He yawned and took a few bites, then exclaimed, "Wow, this is really good." Krad smirked and his little black fox crawled up his shoulder. "It is an ability I have the phantom thief lacks." His son brought a piece of shrimp up to his mouth. "Really? Emiko only tells me all of the things he can do. She kinda…admires him." A huff from his father. "Worships would be a more appropriate word." Krad swallowed a chunk of rice.

"But no, he can't cook at all. He liquefied cookies once and nearly burned down the entire Niwa residence." Aisoku laughed a little, and Krad smiled fleetingly. Aisoku put his chopsticks down onto his plate and asked, "Are you going to finish that?"

"Oh- no, here. Your wings will need a lot of fuel, after all." Krad shoveled his leftover rice onto Aisoku's plate and he smiled happily. "Ah, thanks. You know, it's kind of strange…" He trailed off and dug into the food for a moment, then looked out the windows at the softly twirling snow. "You're a complete stranger to me, but I don't feel awkward around you at all. I wonder why that is."

The feral eyes across from him went soft, like powdered pollen and he murmured "Perhaps…some small part of you still remembers me." Aisoku turned back at the tone in the curse's voice but he seemed unchanged, and took Aisoku's empty plate gently, stacking it on top of his own. "When I get back I'll clean off your wings. We still have a few a few hours before the guests arrive."

"Couldn't I just take a shower?"

"I suppose…if you're very flexible." His son reached around to try and touch the roots of his wings but after a few moments, agreed "Your idea was better." Krad fetched some towels from the cabinet in the hallway then filled a bowl full of warm water. After he sat behind his son and soaked the towel he pointed out, "Aisoku. I can't clean them when they're tight against your spine." He flushed and his wings relaxed, spreading on either side of Krad. "Sorry, but…they still hurt." As Krad massaged the roots carefully Aisoku pulled his legs up and crossed his arms, leaning down into them. "These wings will be the most vulnerable part of you. If you happen to get attacked, keep them in until you can escape." His son lidded his amethyst eyes. Something about Krad's voice made him feel...warm and sleepy even when he was talking about such things.

"You'll teach me how to retract them?"

"Of course." His right wing twitched and leaned into Krad's body, effectively hugging him. "Ah- s-sorry!" The boy snapped his wing away, then back again.

"Um, they just…I can't really control them very well…Did something happen to your wings once?" Krad nodded, his towel stained pink with Aisoku's blood. "An artwork pinned me on my stomach and tore them off." Aisoku's wings snapped up so fast it sounded like a whip. "What?"

"Sorry, I shouldn't have told you-"

"D- but they grow back?"

"Of course. But I can't say the same for you, which is why I'm telling you this. Once you actually take flight you'll understand...it's something that would crush you, if they were taken away." Aisoku took a deep breath and Krad continued to clean the feathers, admiring their blue sheen. Once he was finished he dropped the wet towel into the bowl and started to dry off the spotless feathers. As he ran his hands along the underside of the limbs Aisoku suddenly felt like jelly and leaned one shoulder into Krad's chest. The older teen warned, "This is a soft spot for us, as well." and as his hands moved away Aisoku sat back up. "Okay…" As he did his wings slid out another inch from the two wounds in his back and he yelped. "Ouch!"

"Here…" The blonde waited before putting his fingers at the bottom of the tears in Aisoku's skin. Underneath each wing's tiny down feathers he could make out a strip of muscle. He closed his eyes and let a trickle of his magic bring the skin back together. "There." His son blinked and stretched his back a little. "How did you…?"

"Magic. Just like the blue flames you created." Aisoku glanced off and rubbed his wrists underneath the spell Krad had placed on each hand.  
"I guess, everything in my room was destroyed." Krad nodded and Aisoku let out a soft dejected, "Oh." then reached down into the pocket of his jeans. "Well at least I still have this." He took out the necklace Dark had made slipped it over his head and it rested perfectly on his bare neck. Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Sir? A mister…Mousy to see both of you?" Toro sounded embarrassed and added, "And a clean set of clothes for Aisoku, when he wants them." The boy glanced at his father. "How does he know my sizes?" and Krad hummed, "Oh, just by looking at you he can get a very good estimate on clothing size. He is a Hikari butler." Krad went to the door and took the neatly-folded clothes from Toro, placing them on the foot of Aisoku's bed. "I'll leave you alone for a moment so you can change." "Okay." His son said a bit dejectedly and Krad followed his servant to the front door. He opened it- "Mousy-" and was pushed aside as Dark shoved his way into the warm mansion.

"Freezin' the family jewels off out there!" He announced. Krad shut the door a little too loudly and huffed anger out of his nose._ Try not to kill him… remember that he should see Aisoku conscious… _"Why yes of course you can come in, thanks for asking…" The blonde sneered as Dark shivered and dripped water in the hallway. "Eh? What did you just say?"The thief began but Krad simply gestured for him to follow the blonde upstairs. Krad knocked on Aisoku's door after Aisoku scrambled into the new clothes he answered, "Okay, come in." Dark glanced at Krad with an expression he wasn't familiar with- the thief almost looked nervous- then opened the door. For a moment Aisoku stared at Dark in surprise, then his eyes widened with fear.

"You!" Before he could think clearly his right hand came up and a pencil-thin fork of magi shot out towards Dark. "Oi!" The thief stood about an inch from a charred hole in the wallpaper, cradled a tiny tear in his black sweater and held his hands palm-up in surrender.

"Hell of a father-son reunion! What was that for?" Now it was Aisoku's turn to look confused. "What do you mean-wait- you seem different…" Krad walked around Dark and barked quickly "He won't harm you, Aisoku." Aisoku turned to Krad with his wings tight against his body. "How can you say that? He ate one of the artworks that was in my room yesterday! I saw him!" "Ooh…" White Wings said quietly and the phantom put a hand to his face, "Ah shit…" before dropping it and attempting,

"Well, that wasn't really me. I mean, it was, but…it's kinda hard to explain." Aisoku's eyes narrowed. "It'd be nice if I knew something about both of you considering I don't even know what you are." Krad sat down on the bed opposite Aisoku and Dark leaned against the wall, his belts jangling merrily. "Alright. That was my 'other self'. When Krad and I were created we were made with both good and evil sides. My good side is here, talking to you, and the other is…asleep." Aisoku noticed a black glaze over Dark's eyes as he spoke of it so he decided to change the subject. "I remember…Emiko told me that you're both half of Kokuyoku. But if that's true, why do you need human bodies?" Krad answered this time, stroking his familiar's black fur.

"Human bodies are hard to produce- near impossible. We couldn't just create something out of nothing. We were close to nothing at that time, and scared, and knew that within those bodies we would be safe- It was just a split-second decision." Aisoku seemed satisfied with this and stretched his arms, his eyes on Dark. The thief made him nervous. He knew he had the same eyes as his father but to actually see them flicking around and landing on him- it was unsettling.

"Sorry I zapped you." He murmured and the Kaitou seemed to perk up again.

"No harm no foul kid. You gotta be faster than that to nail me."

Aisoku snorted, twiddled his thumbs and finally blurted, "So, um…Can I ask about the whole two-dad's thing now?"


	6. Chapter 6

Dark chuckled and scratched the back of his neck and his gaze moved to his other half. "You didn't tell him?"

"Didn't want to deprive you of the luxury." Krad said haughtily, stroking his long hair and glancing away. " Yer just embarrassed, aren't cha?" The thief jeered, walking over and mussing up the blonde hair and eliciting a growl from Krad. "That's so cute." White Wings stood up, but Dark shook his head, "Aw, I was just teasing you." and motioned for him to sit down. "Alright, alright. Well…" He stroked his chin and Aisoku watched him expectantly. "First off Krad and I were really drunk, you understand, and he does look a lot like a woman so-" From the bed, Krad drove his heel into the thief's diaphragm, and Aisoku covered a laugh with a hasty fake sneeze. After Dark recovered from a coughing fit and muttered, "Is this national inflict-harm-on- Dark day?" he began. "It started with this artwork called the Hatsu Shibou, which was supposed to grant people's deepest wishes. I had gone to steal it and twinkle toes-"

"Krad!" His other half barked. "- was there protecting it. We started fighting and the Hatsu Shibou got all worked up from our magic and woke up. It found out my wish and decided to… make Krad carry it out by drawing a curse on him." The blonde winced at the memory. "My abdomen, specifically. I think 'carving' would be a more appropriate word."Their son shuffled his wings. "But, what does that have to do with…" "I'm getting there." The thief assured and played with the metallic bands on his arms for a moment. "Just before he finished the seal he stole some blood from me and injected it in with the curse. Krad started getting sick but we ignored it for a while. A few months later Krad was still sick so I took him in to see our doctor, and that's when we found out he was pregnant."

"But how?" Their son said softly, incredulously. Dark glanced at Krad and he explained as best he could, "The curse the Hatsu Shibou laid on me- it's magic, created an environment in me where a child could grow. A makeshift womb if you will, not the real thing, but close enough. Then of course, the thief's blood merged with mine and created you." Krad shifted around as he talked and one of his hands lingered over his midsection for a half-second in fond memory. It was such a short delay Dark was fairly sure Aisoku hadn't noticed it. "But…since Krad's not a girl he couldn't have had eggs…" Aisoku ventured, a blush rising on his face.

"'Ey, the laws of human reproduction sometimes don't apply to artworks. If the magic and the emotion behind it are strong enough, strange things can happen."

Krad smirked at Dark, and the phantom brushed hair out of his eyes in a swift motion. "For a second there, you almost sounded knowledgeable." He sighed. "Whatever. I ain't gonna kill you in front of the children."Aisoku blinked, "Something else I don't know about?" and Krad shook his head. "He's making a joke. It would have killed me to have more than one…" He guessed, still remembering how bad the morning sickness had been. That, and all the other emotional turmoil. After a second Aisoku realized, "I was a curse…Wait, so your wish was me?" The great phantom thief gave a half-grin. "Sure was. It's one thing Krad and I could never have, and after watching the humans for so long…" He trailed off and glanced out at the thickening blanket of snow. "Guess I just wanted to be a dad. And now I am."

His eyes fell onto Aisoku again and the younger boy thought he saw, just for a moment, deep affection in the amethyst crystals. He wasn't quite sure how to respond but gave the thief a tentative grin before turning to Krad. "So did you actually give birth then?" Dark barked a laugh and Krad's blush returned. " Um, no. I got a cesarean." _This is going better than I thought it would. _Dark thought privately. _He's taking it pretty well. _Kyo agreed. _I probably would've been flipping out by now. _"Did you get really big?" Dark shook his head and tuned back into Aisoku and Krad's conversation. The blonde thought, stroking Rai's short black fur. "No, about average. I only gained twenty five or thirty pounds, and it went away right after you were born." Dark suddenly snapped his fingers together. "Hey! I just remembered- I think I have a picture of you…" He started rummaging around in his black jacket and Krad snapped, "A picture of me? From when?"

"From when you were pregnant, duh. I figured Aisoku'd probably want some proof." He stuck caramel hands in his front pockets, "Ah, here it is!" and started over to Aisoku when Krad jerked it out of his hands. "Let me see it!" He only just turned it over when Dark snatched it back and passed it to Aisoku with a hasty, "He gets to see it first!" Krad hopped up and plopped himself down next to his son, and Dark sat on the other side. "You would not believe the hell I went through to get this." The thief sighed. The picture was of an obviously asleep Krad in a thick blue sweater and loose black sweatpants, one of his ivory hands cradling the bulge in his form while the other hung off the side of the mattress. "Was this that morning when you were limping around…?" The blonde mused and Dark muttered, "Damn near broke my kneecap." He rubbed his right knee in reflex. "When did you take this?" Krad asked and Aisoku flipped the photograph over. On the back in Dark's scrawled but somehow sexy handwriting was simply,

_**Krad, 7 months pregnant with our little boy.**_

and the date. "I didn't get much bigger than that." The blonde curse said quietly. Somewhere within Aisoku, he felt an intense relief. _So they both… really did want me…_ "You looked happy, even though you were asleep." Krad's eyes went molten again, soft and intense. "I was."

"We both were." Dark said with a nudge and his eyes fell on his son's necklace. "Heh, you're wearing my necklace." Aisoku put his hand around the metal moon possessively. " _Your_ necklace?" Dark grinned and stroked the two feathers. "Yep. I made it for you when you were still this big-" He held his hands about a foot apart. "About as big as a meatloaf." Aisoku raised an eyebrow and Krad pinched the skin between his eyebrows. "What is it with you and meatloaf?" Dark shrugged. "So I guess you aren't some kind of half-girl then." Aisoku said with a nervous grin and the thief whispered in his ear "Well that is still up for debate. Not physically, but mentally-"

"What was that?" Krad hissed over his son's shoulder at Dark and he smirked. "Nothing sweetheart." Behind his son's back Krad drove a fist into his other hands palm and the Kaitou snorted a laugh. By the time Aisoku turned around both of his parents were facing forward once more. Their son decided to overlook their peculiar behavior and yawned, then rubbed his eyes. It was quite a bit to take in all at once… "Is it alright if I take a nap soon?" To his surprise his thieving father laughed. "Good luck. Emiko's bound to be here any minute."

"Oh yeah…" Dark nudged the boy with a few knuckles. "Any more questions?" Aisoku found himself leaning into Krad's shoulder. "Yes, but…I think I'll just digest all of this first." "Dark." Krad said suddenly and his eyes fixed on the inner pocket of the phantom's leather jacket. "Are those my hand-carved chopsticks?" He glanced down at the slight bulge. "Oh, that? No, Kyo got his nipple pierced."

Both Krad and Aisoku stared. "You can't be serious."Aisoku blurted, "You can't do that! You're my dad!" and Dark shrugged. "He wanted one, so I took him out late at night and- you want to see?" He started lifting up his shirt, and both his son and his other self shouted, "No!" The bedroom door flung open and Emiko threw herself into the room. "Aisoku!" She shoved both angels out of the way and brought the unprepared boy into a bone crushing hug. "Ow-Emiko-"She gasped as her arms looped around underneath his wing joints. "Your wings! Oh they're so beau- I mean, handsome. May I?" Aisoku took in a gasp of air gratefully and choked out,

"Yeah, go ahead." Krad sat up with a muted growl and Dark rubbed the place where his skull had met the bedpost. "Aow. Christ, Emiko, we just saved him from the Kokuyoku, not kidnapped him." After running her hands along the silver curves of the boy's wings she turned back to the thief. "Oh hush you- you're durable. If Satoshi hadn't been there to explain to us what happened-" Dark jerked his thumb in Krad's direction. "That was his idea." She thanked Krad without meeting his eyes and took Aisoku's hand, eyeing the spell around his wrist suspiciously. "I'm sure you've both been taking good care of him but it's time for him to come home." Dark opened his mouth but it was Krad who spoke first. "I'm afraid I can't allow that, Emiko Niwa." She glared and his yellow eyes met hers evenly. "Why not?"

"If he steps foot out of this Estate without those-" He indicated the twin spells around Aisoku's wrists. "Hikari artworks will sense his magic and come for him. In fact, even with them, they know he's here. Since he can't control it, he cannot sense the magic radiating off him even at this moment." Aisoku sat up straight, startled.

"But why aren't they coming here?" Dark propped himself against the wall with one leg straight out and the other bent slightly and the metal on his boots glittered.

"They're not comin' here because Krad knows how to kill 'em. And they know he will." Aisoku's eyes went back to Krad and he murmured, "Kill isn't the right word. They were never really alive." He abruptly changed the subject. "In short, he wouldn't be safe. Once we train him to control his magic we'll send him home." Emiko stroked her hands through Aisoku's hair, "I was so worried about you, I'm so glad your okay, my dear little boy…"and Dark saw Krad's lip rise for a half-second at the pronoun before coming back under control. The blonde glanced at Emiko's hands and realized that she was in her fifties, at least. How much longer would she be able to take care of Aisoku? She turned to Krad. "I will come to check on him then."

"Fine."

"Twice a day, even." Their eyes flashed. "Good. Call the home phone. I'll give you the number…" He scribbled it on a sheet of paper and after Emiko put it in her jeans, she asked her adopted son, "Are you sure you'll be all right here? I was planning on taking you home because a repairman is coming at two and-" He managed to get in, "Emiko!" and she blinked. "I'll be fine. Besides Dark will be here and you trust him right?" Her eyes narrowed. "Well considering some of the things that have happened to Daisuke…" Dark rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Emiko, that was he past. Besides, Aisoku's technically twenty-two. It'll be good for him, getting the taste of a bachelor's life for a while." "Well…" She lingered for a moment, then gave Aisoku a final hug and left only after two more reassurances from Aisoku that he'd be fine.

As the door closed Aisoku shifted his wings. "Anyone else coming?"

"Not that I know of." Krad answered and blinked as his familiar hopped off his shoulders and onto Aisoku's lap. After a moment his son started petting the black fox over his ears. Dark watched with a slightly irritated look. " 'Course he warms up to you right away- he hates me." The little animal laid his pointed head on Aisoku's thigh and curled up, growling at Dark before closing his eyes. "To be fair, he hates most Niwa's." Krad agreed. "But your familiar hates me so we're even." Dark took Wiz out of his jacket pocket and put him on the bed right next to Aisoku. "Time for an experiment." Wiz sniffed Aisoku in confusion, and then hopped up onto his leg. Rai growled sleepily, "Ryuuu…" but after a bit allowed Wiz to sit next to him and soon enough they were both asleep. Together they looked like a fuzzy yin-yang symbol. "Huh. Look at that." Aisoku picked up Wiz and he squeaked and wagged his tail. "Is he a rabbit?"

"Not exactly." Dark ran a hand through his hair and just then, there was a knock. Toro opened the bedroom door and stated, "Sir, there's someone here for you." Krad waved his hand. "Tell them I'm not here." Wiz jumped out of Aisoku's hands and landed on his hair and the boy pouted, "Don't we have enough of a sausagefest 'round here as it is?" then covered his mouth. Dark stared at him and his eyes became round and glittery. "What did you say?"

"Um, I just say weird things sometimes-"He didn't get to finish as Dark put him in a loose headlock, his tan fist mussing up Aisoku's blonde locks.

"That's my word, you said my word! Ah, I knew it was more than just the eyes!" Aisoku struggled, "Lemme go!" and he did, but only after placing a big sloppy kiss on his forehead. "Yuck! Eww…" Dark laughed good-naturedly, and Toro interrupted. "I would have sir, but he said something about – well, about footage of Aisoku and his wings." Both Krad and Dark got quiet and Aisoku held his wings close. "But no one was outside when that happened. How did he?" Krad laid a hand on his shoulder. "He's probably just bluffing, but you stay up here alright?" The boy petted the fox in his lap and nodded as the two of them left. It nuzzled his hand and he sighed wearily. All of the sudden, his life had become very complicated. He closed his eyes for a minute and felt the pulse of blood through his wings, the web of feathers protecting them. _I hope dad and …mom-dad will be okay. _Downstairs Toro opened the door to reveal a very small, mouse-looking man. "Ah, hello! You must be…" He paused and stroked some graying stubble. "The Hikari curse and the Phantom Thief right?" Dark crossed his arms, the cold air bringing out goose bumps on his biceps. "You here to arrest me or something?" Dark looked unimpressed. "No, I'll leave that to the professionals. Is Aisoku in…?" He stood up high to see past them and the thief rested his arm casually but pointedly, across the door frame. "And how do you know him?" "He's my neighbor." The man shivered in the Japanese weather.

"Um, could I come in?" Both halves looked at each other and decided that he wasn't much of a threat. "Fine." Dark removed his arm and the two angels escorted him into the living room. Toro stood at the corner of the room as well. "My butler informed me you spoke of some footage concerning Aisoku." The portly man eyed him and Krad growled "What!"

"Are you his father, then?" The Hikari curse blinked, "Excuse me?" and glanced at Dark worriedly. "Well he really doesn't look like Emiko or Kosuke so, are you?" Krad hissed. "I don't answer your questions little human. Tell me of the footage. Now." His last word rang loud in the room like a slap.

The man seemed to deflate and looked away from the wolf eyes. "A few weeks ago I was upstairs and I saw him- it looked like fire exploded out of his hand, and it burned my roof, so I decided to put a camera outside my window at his bedroom. I wanted to understand what it was-" Dark barked "How much did you see?" and the man shriveled a bit more. "Right up to when Aisoku threw one of those shadow-things out of his bedroom door. Then it melted from the heat." Krad crossed his arms. "Have you sent this to anyone? Where is this?" The little man adjusted his collar. "No, it's on my personal computer at home."He turned to the thief, aware that Krad was no longer answering questions. "Is Aisoku okay? He seems like a nice kid." Purple eyes assessed him and they looked vaguely familiar.

"He's fine. He'll be a lot better off once you get rid of that footage. Go home, and destroy the original copy." He sighed. "You might have been trying to help, but in the wrong hands…" He trailed off and the man looked indignant. "But- that kind of power is incredible, it could-" Krad flicked a finger, and a tendril of yellowish magic snapped out at the man, disappearing just before it touched his skin. "Incredibly dangerous. Best if it doesn't get into the common man's hands." He sat there for a minute, numbed by the sheer speed of Krad's magic and the power behind it.

"F-fine. Fine, I'll get rid of it. But can you at least tell me what you are?" Krad smirked, "What do you think we are? Human?" then gave a laugh.

"It's best if you don't know."The man glanced at Dark but he shook his head. "He's actually right on this. Please- if you do care about Aisoku, get rid of it-" A muscle in his crossed arms flexed. "Or I will." The man nodded and gathered himself up and the two of them escorted him to the front door. "Will he be able to fly?" He asked the thief just as he was about to close the door and Dark snorted, "What are wings for?" then the door closed.

They both headed back upstairs and Krad whispered, "Shh." as they snuck into Aisoku's room. Dark walked over to his horizontal, immobile son and poked him.

"He's asleep!" Krad shooed his hand away and gathered Rai off Aisoku's hip. "He said he was tired." "Well what are we supposed to do now!" The Kaitou fumed quietly and noticed that Aisoku's head rested on his black leather jacket. "He's holding my jacket hostage…" _My stolen chopsticks are in there, you little... _He reached for it and Aisoku, sensing that his pillow might get taken away, dug his hand into the fabric and pulled it close. "Dammit." Krad straightened his white, gold-trimmed sleeve.

"That's cute." Dark looked at him disbelievingly. "Eh?"

"I think he remembers you too." The thief paused. "Nah. No way could he remember that far back."

"You never know." Krad stroked a silver wing gently. "Let's let him sleep."

Krad left and Dark followed, patting Aisoku's head once before closing the curtains around his bed and leaving.

And just like before, Aisoku fell asleep to the sound of his parent's voices.

* * *

FF19- well, here you go. And about Dark's manners...I dont think he ever really had any.

RosalieCullenHale1- Um, was this akward enough? I was blushing while writing it.

Damaged Ghost of an Angel- how was this? XD

Sapphiet- Oh, Aisoku will be fine. He's tough.

xOtaku4Ux- thanks, I like sweet stories too.


	7. Chapter 7

When Aisoku awoke he found that it was late afternoon and he was quite alone. It occurred to him that he had never actually seen the other parts of the Estate other than this room. He stretched his wings, almost used to them now, and his arms, then shivered. Scooting over to the pile of clothes Toro had set out for him he put on a pair of socks, shoes and eyed the odd shirt he'd been given. It was vest-ish with long sleeves and four zippers up the back, stacked in two rows vertically.

In the middle of both lines of zippers were two slits that were meant for his wings. After about ten minutes in front of the full-length mirror in the corner he slipped into it and found it was quite comfortable, though a little goth/punk for his taste. He snuck out of the bedroom and avoided the stairs, turning left down a vaulted hallway. The walls were the same robin's egg blue and the hardwood floors were covered by blue-and-white runners that depicted angels, gardens, and feats of architecture he had never seen before. Aisoku skirted the runner- he felt like he shouldn't be walking on something so obviously valuable- and noticed, near the end, a thief had appeared. Well a whole clan of them actually, all Niwa's judging by their fiery hair, in the midst of an epic battle with the Hikari's.

At the end of the battle it showed a man holding a knife to a Hikari woman's throat and Dark restrained by- he crouched down but that had faded away.

The expression on Dark's face made Aisoku cringe. He was screaming, his face was streaked with tears, blood and black feathers littered the ground and- Aisoku bumped into a wooden door and rubbed his head. He glanced back down at the runner. It had stopped abruptly and looked as if the end had been torn off and hastily covered with a border that was obviously from a more recent time. He puzzled over it for a moment- _Why would a Hikari rip off the end of this? _Then opened the door he'd smacked into, coughing as his lungs filled with dust. The room had obviously been unoccupied for a long time because all the furniture was covered in thin white sheets. He made his way over to a large trunk at the end of the bed and found that it was locked. Running a hand through his hair he retrieved a hairpin and jiggled the lock. After a few moments it clicked, but refused to open. _Huh. That's weird… _Aisoku messed with it for a moment and accidentally sliced his finger in the splintered wood, "Ouch." and a drop fell into the keyhole. It opened with a hiss and revealed a rainbow of every valuable gem and metal he could think of, and the sight filled his thieving heart with glee. Strangely most were wrapped in thin paper strips that looked like sutras.

"How like your father you are." A voice near the doorway purred and he flushed and slammed the chest shut. "I…"

"Always seeming to know just where the valuables in a house are." He caught the amused tone in Krad's tenor and relaxed a little. "Um, I'm sorry." Krad cut him off with a wave of his hand and crouched next to him, opening the chest again with a drop of his own Hikari blood. "It's natural to be curious with thief blood in your veins, but you should be cautious as well."

His long white fingers began taking out the carefully-wrapped pieces one by one. "Would you like to see my favorite piece? I made it."

"Yeah." He eyed the packages as they began to pile up and caught glimpses of ruby, amethyst, amber, and diamonds. There were bracelets, cuffs, brooches, a sword and knives, cloaks, huge single gems, a helmet… "Ah, here it is." He unwrapped a small, insignificant looking black box and held up the most beautiful necklace Aisoku had ever seen. It made a part of him burn with the desire to possess it. It consisted entirely of rubies, flowing off a gold chain so thin it was almost nonexistent.

"Can I…hold it?" He placed it in Aisoku's outstretched hand and each stone seemed to flow and blend into the next like a living organism. Only by holding it close to his eye he could point out the individual stones. "It's quite safe, unlike some of the other pieces here- that helmet, for instance." Aisoku laid it against his arm but his caramel-colored skin seemed to dull the glory of the piece. Krad chuckled at his frown and explained, "It is meant to be worn by people with light skin- here, I will show you." As he fastened it around his ivory neck he continued, "This was a gift I intended to give the woman I loved. Her name was Elizabeth, and her skin was fairer than mine, if you can believe it." Finally the necklace fastened and dropped into place. The effect was startling- it was as if Krad's throat had been cut and the fresh blood was flowing gently down his marble skin and just over the curve of his collarbones. "You were in love?" Aisoku stopped because of the way it sounded but Krad seemed to agree. "I was surprised, too. Me, of all artworks. But yes." He began unfastening it. "She didn't get to wear it?" and Krad's eyes turned to golden steel. "No. She died… horribly. A part of my heart belongs to her, and will forever."

He dropped the heavy necklace into Aisoku's hand and he asked, "Not all of it?" and his eyes came back to normal, and then softened into honeyed wool.

"The rest is for you."

Aisoku stared at him, amazed, surprised beyond belief, and unsure of what to say. He certainly didn't deserve to be in any part of this… this artworks being.

Krad opened his mouth to speak but shut it as arms wrapped around his upper back and Aisoku buried his face in the curse's chest. "I'm so sorry that happened. But dad you- you don't even know me…" Krad forced himself to move past his surprise and put an arm between Aisoku's wing joints. "My dear child, I know you better than you might think." He trailed off and put his head close to Aisoku's, breathing in that familiar chocolate-lemon smell. Ah, he'd missed him so much. "We used to do this a lot didn't we?" He asked and turned his face to look at Krad. "Almost every day. Dark and I both." Aisoku hugged him for a moment longer then broke the embrace. "For some reason, I feel like you need it more than he does." Krad blinked but before he could analyze the statement Aisoku took a pair of chopsticks out of his pocket. "Oh, here. I found them in Dark's jacket." Krad smirked and took them. "Ah, two thieves working against each other. I'm sure Dark never suspected that." Aisoku frowned. "No, I just don't want him stealing from you." Krad chortled. "Where have you been the last 400 years?" He patted Aisoku's head fondly, "Thank you." reveling as the boy smiled and began helping him pack all the artworks back into the chest. Kiryu watched Krad with a mixture of confusion and fascination. Around his son, Krad was completely different. _I am different, _Krad suddenly spoke to him. _Because I no longer live for one Hikari. I can live for another._

_Hey I told you- can't you cut me a little slack? _He felt Krad snort. _Why should I? Your father seemed to adapt quite well. _Kiryu pouted. The way Krad talked about his father bordered on worship. Just as they had packed away all the finery Dark slinked into the room, his leather jacket across his shoulders once more.

"Oi! If you two are done playing pretty princesses-"Krad's eye twitched and in a single movement, he produced one of his more frilly overcoats.

It slid up Dark's shoulders and buckled around him in an instant. "We weren't, because we wanted you to participate." Dark struggled to get the gold-embroidered coat off, the lace clashing horribly with his black pants and boots. "Krad! Get this shit off me now!" He tore at the fabric but it tightened around his form.

He was blushing, and White Wings crooned, "Oh but it looks so good on you, thief…" and after a few seconds of bliss, snapped his fingers and the coat disappeared. Dark gave Krad a death glare. "By golly if Aisoku weren't here I would-" He paused and seemed to notice that something was missing from his jacket. He looked at Aisoku, and the boy pointed at Krad. Dark glanced at Krad and he twirled the chopsticks in his fingers lazily. "Why you little…" He wrestled Aisoku to the ground and his son burst out laughing as he let the thief pin him. "How could you betray your own thieving father! It's-it's unforgivable!" The boy flipped the thief onto his back and as he barked,

"Hey!" in surprise, he whispered in Darks ear. "You gotta be faster than that to pin me…old man."

"Old!" Krad picked Aisoku up by his scruff and dusted him off. "Enough both of you. If you want to engage in more of this pointless physical competition go outside." The Kaitou jumped to his feet, pride stinging.

"Pointless? I've used these skills in heists more times than I can count!"He caught Aisoku under his knees and flung him over his shoulder. "We will go outside then!" Krad followed Dark down the stairs "Not without me." and grinned as Aisoku pummeled Dark's legs fruitlessly. "Let me go!" As soon as they reached the landing Dark unloaded Aisoku and mussed his hair, and he growled. "Right. Well, if we want to go outside, gonna have to do something about these, so you can fit into a coat."

He tugged on Aisoku's grey wing a bit and he pouted. "Teach me then."

"Alright I will." Dark stepped lightly behind him and put both of his hands gently on each wing. "I'm sure you can feel as you stretch them right? And fold them?" Aisoku nodded and Dark continued, "Well, now imagine them folding up against your back as tight as possible, almost so their flat." He did, and felt the thief's hands pressing on them. "Good. Now let's see…" He paused and tried to think of just how to word the sensation of hiding his wings.

"Imagine… pulling them really deep into your back, under your skin. It'll feel weird, but that just means you're doing it right. Unless you're doing it wrong, which I'll inform you immediately." Aisoku snorted but attempted what he had said, and it felt like his wings were somehow crumpling and slipping back under his skin. "Um…" Dark let go of the appendages and patted them once. "There, you got it! First try." His son tried to lift up his arms above his head but the wings were still there, and his shoulder blades refused to pinch together. Krad brought Aisoku's arms back to his sides. "I think it's best if we keep them in for limited amount of time- they're still growing." Still, he was a little confused as he slipped into a snow coat and boots. "But- how do they crumple like that? They're probably a ten-foot span by now, at least." Dark slipped some black mittens on and a purple scarf he'd stuffed into his pocket earlier. "Magic. The laws of mass no longer apply."

Aisoku stretched his back a little- it felt all compacted now, uncomfortable. Once Krad was ready they headed out into the blindingly white snow. Once they got settled Dark was severely tempted to nail Krad with a snowball, as he was sitting on a stump and filing his nails, completely disinterested in his lesson. He combed snow out of his wine-colored locks and tightened his scarf. "Well it seems to me you've already got the main lesson of this down- surprise. So for now, I'm just gonna ask you to take me out the way you would a regular security officer." Aisoku raised his eyebrows. "Wait, knock you out?"

"Yep!" Dark said with a grin.

"Best ya got. Hurry up-" He readied himself, arms slightly up, legs shoulder-width apart. "I ain't got all day and it's colder than Hell out here." Aisoku hesitated.

"But what if I hurt you?" Dark rolled his eyes and challenged, "I dunno…I don't think you _can_." Aisoku found the 'Krad' part of his personality rearing up at those words and struck out with his foot, aiming for Dark's jaw. For a moment he thought he'd done it- at least until a pair of purple eyes laughed at him and a hand jerked his raised foot, yanking him off balance and into the snow. As he lay there, stunned, Dark put a finger to Aisoku's temple and said, "Pow. Unconscious." Then that warm finger retreated, leaving that spot of skin colder than before. Aisoku pulled himself to his feet and looked at his father with a mix of confusion and admiration. "How…"

"That was pretty good." Dark allowed, stretching. "But it's as I thought. You have the skill, but little experience. You pinning me was beginner's luck." Aisoku adjusted his hat. "It was not!" The phantom thief grinned. "Yeah? Prove it." The continued to spar for the next few hours, virtually all of their matches ending in Dark's favor.

As Aisoku lay in the snow for the umpteenth time, little flakes melting as they touched his hot face, he heard Krad interrupt, "It's getting dark you two. Enough is enough." Dark's face suddenly loomed in front of him and he sighed. "Did I lose again?" Instead of answering his father closed his eyes and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "You did well kid. Now, up we go." He pulled the boy easily to his feet and marched to the front door himself and Aisoku watched him. "Hey Dark?" The thief turned, "Hmm?" and put an arm casually around Aisoku's shoulders. It felt right for it to be there. "If we keep practicing do you think I'll be able to beat you?"

Dark covered his laugh hastily and Aisoku looked offended. " Hey! You could at least lie!" He shoved his father playfully and Dark grinned, then grabbed his hat and pulled it down over Aisoku's face. "Ngh!" By the time he got it off the thief was already inside. He trotted into the warm light and realized, strangely enough, he felt at home here with them. After an impressive dinner of soup, bread and dessert Dark leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table. "Ah, that was excellent. My guess- my portion was poisoned." An anger-mark appeared on Krad's forehead. "You insisted watching me make it from the beginning so that's highly unlikely." White Wings swallowed his last bit of soup and checked Kiryu's watch. "Aren't you supposed to be back at the Niwa's?"

"Eh? What time is it?" Dark's eyes were glazed in food-ecstasy. "Seven thirty." The thief grabbed one more bun and stuffed it into his jacket. "Oh, my bad. I was just having too much fun over here. Guess I'll seeya later." He got up from his chair and Aisoku followed him to the door, teasing.

"That's it? No bedtime story? No goodnight kiss? No-" Dark suddenly wrapped him into a very brief, but very tight, hug.

"I'm not really that kind of a person. Goodnight, kid." Aisoku smiled, "You're not a very good liar, Dark. Night." and put Wiz into his father's hand before closing the door. Dark stood on the steps for a moment, recalling another person who had said that to him, and responded the same way he had back then, with her.

"Not around you."Then he flew off into the night. Aisoku spend the end of his day like he usually did, getting ready for bed. Krad suggested that he should sleep in a different room because he was likely to give his tamer a break and he didn't want to startle Aisoku, but the boy said he didn't mind. In fact, he was interested in meeting his parent's tamers. As he lay in bed, later in the night, Krad asked him from across the room, "Aisoku? You're still awake." He flushed; embarrassed that Krad could tell he'd been awake and staring at the ceiling for the past half hour. "Oh, um…it's just that…" He fiddled his thumbs. "I like to read before I go to bed but since all my Hellsing books were destroyed…" Krad got quiet, then murmured. "Go look in your top dresser drawer."Aisoku did and found a single slightly-burned Hellsing novel. It was singed, but definitely still readable.

"Wow. You 're like Oprah." Krad raised an eyebrow. "Dark slipped it in there sometime this morning. I didn't notice it until this afternoon." Aisoku noticed his name on the inside cover and realized this must have been one of the few things that survived his bedroom fire. "Dark did?"

"He did." Krad rolled over and pulled his legs up. "Oh. Thanks, Krad." He heard him mutter something, yawn, and then get very still. Aisoku stretched his wings, happy that he didn't have to keep them under his skin all the time, and began to read. In about five minutes he was asleep with his Hellsing novel as a pillow. He didn't sleep for very long though. During the midnight hour he heard the sound of cloth brushing against itself, just barely. Aisoku opened one eye and beyond the darkness, thought he saw a few shadowy figures near the end of his bed. _…Huh? _Just as he struggled up into consciousness he heard a whispered,

"Shit he's awake." just before something cold buried itself into his neck. _Ouch! _He reached up to touch it and felt a cylinder- a syringe? And just as his hand connected with thin metal, something surged up into his head and he fell into a hard, dreamless sleep.

* * *

In the bed next to him, as soon as Kiryu had heard the faint curse and awoken Krad had taken over his body, keeping it still underneath the sheets. It was agony-waiting for them to approach. He controlled his breathing, his every movement precisely. They had not even noticed the half-second breathing change as he'd switched to consciousness. But the moment he'd heard the swish of a dart through the air he lost all control.

_Krad wait-! _He tore the blanket off, jumped to his feet and unleashed a torrent of electric magic onto two of the three intruders. Simultaneously he could feel the flood of fury working against him- his true form began altering his human body, feeding on his hatred. His canines lengthened, his hair broke free from its tie and spread, bristling- the two men tried to shoot at him but the metal guns melted in their hands and moments later they were two black burns on the floor.

Krad turned to the man who was holding Aisoku. Without hesitation he slammed his hand into the man's face. At the moment the pads of his fingers connected five very long, real claws burst from the end of his fingers. The man cried out but Krad felt the cool lip of his weapon just over his collar, digging into his neck.

The man's cry cut off and he stared even as blood from the claw in his eyebrow blurred his vision.

"I can pull this trigger faster than you can kill me." He said, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "Perhaps, but I can finish you off before the drug takes effect." Krad found himself impressed at the way the human stared right into his eyes- it reminded him of fighting with Dark. The emblem on the man's arm caught his eye and he memorized it in an instant- a DNA helix that unraveled at the top and bottom to form a circle around the helix. The man understood that the boy in his arms was the only reason he was alive and adjusted his grip slightly. As he did, Krad's eyes flicked down for a half-second, the opportunity the man needed, and the blonde heard a click.

"You-!" Krad pushed until he heard the man's nose crack but knew it was too late to kill him- his vision was already wavering. The man yelped but kept the barrel fully against the curse's neck, even as blood from his nose painted his mouth and chin. "W-we already know enough to know that you-" He swallowed and glared at Krad through ivory fingers. "You _monsters _are part avian and have a very low tolerance for drugs." Krad swayed, then blinked but it did little to clear the cloudiness in his mind. Instead of pulling his claws out he raked them in a flick of his arm, down the man's face.

Just underneath the scream the wounds elicited he murmured, "I will have my revenge on you, human…" before falling to the ground in a dead faint. The man stumbled out of the room, clutching his face and cursing. Somehow he made it out of the Estate and into the black company van. As two of his other co-workers opened the door they gasped.

"My God- what happened to your face? What happened to-?"

He laid Aisoku out in the back seat, sat down as one of them got out the first-aid kit and gurgled, "Just get out of here before that demon wakes up."


	8. Chapter 8

For whatever reason ever since this morning Dark had felt that something had gone wrong in the Hikari Estate so instead of letting Kyo attend school like he was supposed to… _Let me get this straight. We're gonna skip school and get into enormous trouble from Riku just because of some lame hunch of yours? _Dark sighed and adjusted his wings to the left. _Yeah. You got a problem with that? _Kyo fumed, _Yes I have a problem! You told me this was important! You're always taking over my body and making up stupid excuses for it! _Dark gritted his teeth and ran a tongue over the sharp, bumpy god-damn braces.

_Shut up! At least I put my bands on this morning unlike a certain redhead who's gonna be a braceface for the rest of his life! I take better care of your body than you do! _Their childish argument continued until Dark landed on the steps of the Estate, where Kyo blocked him with a rather weak mental barrier. That Hikari butler's car was parked just outside so that was good. For once he decided to follow the socially acceptable laws of entry and knocked on the door, his wings transforming back into Wiz. He put him in his pocket and Toro answered, then after a few back and forth questions admitted, "Actually I haven't seen either of them so far…" He turned and Dark slid in and closed the door behind him. "I'll come with- saves you the trouble of coming back down to get me." The butler looked irritated but allowed Dark to follow him upstairs. Toro made to open the door but Dark stopped him with a single fluid movement. "Here, let me." His voice was barely above a whisper.

The thief wasn't usually in-tune with his other half but could tell that Krad was extremely pissed off. He opened the door silently and stepped inside keeping his back to the wall. Krad was laying face-up on the floor, apparently unconscious, with his golden hair free of its usual tie. Until today Dark had been under the impression that people couldn't sleep angry- apparently the white angel was an exception. Odd- Aisoku was also missing. Leaning against the wall the thief snapped his fingers.

In an instant the hunter was awake and he flipped over onto all fours in a sole shift of muscles, claws extended. As he moved he snarled a challenge, but went quiet when he realized it was only the thief, and he was well across the room. "A tad on the high-strung side are we." His other half observed and Krad stood, flexing the unnatural additions at the end of each finger.

"Where are they?"

"Who?" Yellow eyes narrowed and flicked down to his watch before settling again on the thief. "Shit. They could be anywhere by now!"

"…Again, who?" Krad suddenly closed the space between them and slammed Dark up onto the wall by his red collar. "Only the people who _**stole our son**_**, **Mousy."

As Krad paused for the words to sink in the phantom pointed to Krad's hands and, managing not to wince, asked, "Mind retracting the claws first, kitty?"

The blonde realized that said claws were dug into the thief's skin, just under the collarbone, and blood was beginning to trickle down caramel skin. _See! This is what happens when you skip school! _Kyo barked and Dark almost rolled his eyes. White Wings retracted them but did not drop the thief to the floor. "This is your fault."

Krad accused, his grip impeded slightly by the Niwa's blood, and Dark couldn't help but snap back, "Yeah? How so?_** You**_ were the one supposed to be protecting him!" Krad threw him to the floor with surprising force and screeched, "_**You**_ were the one who left us yesterday! If you hadn't he'd still be with us now!" His magic crackled around him and his wolf eyes glowed as he spat, "You're _**always**_ leaving us!" Dark realized that this conversation had suddenly taken a whole new direction and stood up, approaching his furious other half. _Dark, what are you doing? I don't want to go home in stitches! _He ignored Kyo and dodged the rather halfhearted kick Krad aimed at him, pinning the blonde's arms behind him and pushing him up against the wall, not harshly, but carefully, being sure not to bruise or break anything.

The hunter cursed, thrashed, and bucked but with some effort Dark was able to keep him against the wall. "That wasn't my choice and you know it Krad. It was..."

Hell, he didn't have to explain himself; his actions were enough, weren't they? Krad's ribcage expanded and contracted spastically. Since he was so close to Krad he noticed a fine layer of blonde hair beginning to snake down the nape of his ivory neck.

"Don't even think about it. You' really kill your tamer over-"

"I would do anything for him." Krad said, and turned so one golden eye met with amethyst. Dark's gaze flicked to the two black smears on the floor that were probably people at some point and murmured, "Looks like you've already killed for him." The beginnings of a gold mane receded and Krad's breath came back into the boundaries of normal. "And what would you propose we do?" "Go back to little-man's house and see if he did give out the footage. I'll do the talking if we do." Krad growled,

"And why is that?" and the thief pointed out, "Because… you're in a bit of a killing mood right now." He moved one arm and put it across Krad's chest in a half-hug. "We're gonna find him, Krad. And we're gonna beat the shit out of everyone involved in kidnapping him." Krad blinked and seemed to relax a bit.

"I… can agree with that."

"But here's the key- not yet. We need information- who they were, where their facilities are, the most likely place they took him and why…" He released the White Wings and walked across the room, beginning to pace as he thought it over. Inside Dark's mind, Kyo could feel a plan beginning to form and wriggled nervously.

"I'll do the stealing and some plotting, and you do the killing, maiming and general destruction once we get there. Fair?"Krad managed an incredulous, "Is 'the great phantom thief' implying that he'd work with me to-" Dark interrupted. "Damn right. Much as I hate to admit it, your strong point is magic, and we may need a lot of it to get him back. So?" A tan hand reached out and hung in the air. "Only… if you bear in mind that I'm perfectly capable of rescuing him on my own." Krad wasn't an idiot either- perhaps he could rescue Aisoku on his own, but how could any plan go wrong with the greatest thief alive as a backup? Krad shook the outstretched hand and found it to be surprisingly rough. "And vice versa. Now-" He grinned almost as evilly as Krad. "Time for a chat with a certain neighbor." It was easy enough to find out where he lived. Dark called Emiko, and she reported that he was the one on the right-hand side. Since they didn't want to be spotted they decided to let Toro drive them, and he kept an eye on the thief for more than half the ride. Dark amused himself by trying to put his feet in Krad's lap, just for the hell of it, or perhaps to distract from the pit of emotions in his stomach. The first time Krad merely growled and pushed the slightly dirtied boots away with a quick swipe. The second time, he paired it with a verbal warning. "Sweet Jesus your muscles are tense." The thief observed, letting his leather-clad legs spread lazily.

"Doesn't do you any good you know. Tires you out for the real fight." Krad's lips twitched, "As if I would take your advice on the matter."The Kaitou stretched and the muscles along his shoulders and biceps rippled smoothly. "You should considering I've beaten you –" Krad then he noticed the five punctures on the phantom's neck still weren't fully healed. "Oh- here." Moving the thick red sweater collar a bit he laid he hand on the wounds and let the tiniest bit of magic heal them. Dark stared, and Krad snatched his hand away. "What." The stare changed into a full-blown smirk, devilish full lips stretched to capacity.

"Thanks, mommy."

Krad's eye twitched. "Remind me again why we're working together."

"Because things changed between us the moment you saw Aisoku's eyes." Saffron eyes widened and he stared at the thief, mouth agape, before closing it and covering, "Hardly. It only makes it slightly harder to dole out the beatings you deserve." Dark chuckled and a single gold eyebrow raised. "You know what we sound like?" Then, yellow narrowed.

"Don't even."

"An old married couple." White Wings punched him with a mix of revulsion, disgust and just enough disdain for the thief to let out a bark of laughter. "Your face…"

"I suppose you're going to be the one to tell Emiko Aisoku got kidnapped." It was almost comical how fast his face changed from humor to horror. "Shit, I had forgotten… Ooh, she' gonna kill me…" Toro interjected, "We are going to be right next to her house. It'd probably be better if you told her now rather than later." Dark groaned and his counterpart grinned as the Hikari driver pulled over to the curb just in front of Emiko's house. As the thief got out he wiped the smirk off the blonde's face with, "You know you'll have to come too. You were the one who saw those guys…" "A single identifying patch on the right shoulder- a double helix that unwound on each end to form s circle. Their outfits were black, their color dark. That is all I know." Dark pouted.

"Oh, a great support system you are." Krad twitched. "I should have killed you for that earlier comment." His other half mussed blonde hair, pulling his hand away before Krad could twist it. "You should have killed me the moment I got you pregnant."

Krad leapt out of the car, "You did not 'get me pregnant' because I AM NOT FEMALE!" then realized that they were in a well-populated area of Japan and a good thirty people had just heard him. The bystanders stared and Krad slid back into the seat and shut the door, his face red to his ears. He stretched out his legs, slumped back and pretended not to exist. It was a good half-hour before Dark came back, his hair ruffled and his gait dejected. Krad opened the car door and asked, "So?" The thief flinched. "So, Emiko called Riku to tell her, and Riku called Risa, so now everyone's in on what happened." Krad put his hands in his pockets.

"I'm guessing Risa's… not pleased that I've been in possession of Kiryu's body for three days." "That's putting it lightly. But I did tell her as far as I knew you hadn't used magic excessively with him." Silence. Krad murmured, "Telling lies to make people happy…aren't you." This human body ached all over and he knew although he'd slept, he'd stayed in his own form, so it hadn't done much good. Also, he'd been drugged. Kiryu needed a break, and soon. "As soon as the opportunity comes I will let him rest." _. . . really? _Kiryu muttered in a hoarse rasp, and Krad felt a sudden twinge of guilt. _Yes, and. . . I am sorry. _"Why not now?" Dark's voice cut through their conversation. "Hn?"

"You can let Kiryu rest in the car while I find out about the footage. I'd like to keep the body count to a minimum, of possible."

"I suppose… I do have a bit of a temper." Krad ventured, but added, "Although most of the anger is merely pent-up aggression at some of your more charming comments." The thief nodded. "Most likely. But I just can't help myself. If I do need you for any intimidation, I'll come get you." "If he did intentionally hand over the film, you'd better not leave him unscathed." Purple eyes darkened almost to black. "You can trust me on that I suppose." Krad closed the car door again and relinquished control to Kiryu, who promptly curled up on the black leather and fell into a satisfying sleep, his hands curled up to his chest like a child.

Krad of course, did not sleep. He put his hand over his chest, over the link which now was the only thing that informed him that his child was still alive somewhere.

_Aisoku, my only child, my baby, where are you. . . _He closed his eyes in despair.

* * *

Aisoku woke up to a pair of strong arms hauling him up out of the van. "C'mon, kid, this way." He murmured, "S' Aisoku." And blinked fiercely but it didn't help clear his vision any. He was at a small personal airport of some kind, judging by the runways of pavement crossing the ground. His legs felt about the consistency of jelly and one of them caught of something and pitched him foreword.

Aisoku snapped out his wings to regain his balance and heard a muffled, "Oof!" from behind, followed by a thud. He pulled them back in, _Oops. _and let their conversation wash over him as he tried to figure out where he was. He glanced over his shoulder at the license plate on the vehicle- H265CG, with a box in the corner containing the number twenty-five and the word 'russia'. _Russia? _

" Hey, would you mind retracting those? You'll never fit on the plane with them." Aisoku most definitely did not want to go to Russia. The man on his left arm leaned in for a second and hissed in broken Japanese. "Don't talks with him, wake him up you will." The man on the right leaned in for a second and his face became clear. He had dark coloring, black eyes and dark brown skin and hair. "Nah, he can barely keep his eyes open." So, there were these two, the woman behind him with the car keys and possibly two pilots in the Adam A500 plane they were approaching. The man on the right loosened his grip. Aisoku retracted his wings slowly, then looped one foot around the man's ankle and dropped him to the ground, turned and nailed the other man in the jaw and was halfway back to the van when the ground jumped up to meet him.

He threw his hands out, alarmed, then realized what had happened as soon as the woman put a hand on his shoulder and explained,

"Ah… When your heart rate rises it accelerates the effect of the sedative." He glared up at her and suddenly, she realized why her boss considered him such a valuable asset. Those jeweled amethyst eyes, the shape, the curve of his jaw and lip…

"You're the Phantom Thief's son." She said in wonder, catching his body just before he hit the pavement.

He'd slipped back into unconsciousness. He was surprisingly heavy for such a scrawny kid, and as she slipped her hands under his knees and carried him to the plane, she felt the curve of wings just under his skin and surprisingly, guilt.

He probably just wanted to go home to his family. He couldn't have been older than twelve.

But whatever lay in his genes had the power to change the course of human history.

* * *

FF19-Heh you really like fight scenes huh. I was going to have a bigger one between Dark and Krad, but... later, later. And yes, Aisoku is punk/goth, but only a little, and he certainly can appreciate it. ^^

Damaged Ghost of an Angel- Okay I will! Thanks.

Sapphiet- Princesses. pfft. Sorry that this chap didn't answer that but it will be in the next one! Promise!


	9. Chapter 9

Dark swallowed a sudden rush of irritation and anger and rang the doorbell, crossing his arms and drumming his fingers impatiently. He'd seemed scared enough of Dark and Krad before so Dark sincerely doubted he'd sol the footage. Still, right now he was the largest possibility. The door opened and as soon as their eyes met the smaller man looked away and murmured, "Ah, I figured you would be here soon." Dark's lip lifted in the beginning of a snarl.

"Yeah? Didja get a good hunk of change from selling out my son?" The man stared at him in genuine shock. "Aisoku is gone?" Dark raised an eyebrow and relaxed a smidge. If he was faking being shocked it was the best act he'd ever seen. " He is. So are you gonna tell me how it got stolen then?" The little man gestured for the phantom thief to come inside and he did, following the man up to a rather disorganized study.

"I suppose you can't just take my word for it but I think it was taken by my old company- I used to work in a private sector of the Russian government- they were into genetic research mostly. I was leerie of where the company was headed and they were losing funding so they dropped me. " As he talked he turned on the hard drive and monitor, but as soon as it came to life there was a brief fifteen second flash of blue light before everything went black again. "I went on last night to remove it- this is my company computer, so technically they could still get into it, b the way. As soon as I tried to open the file it downloaded this virus."

The older man ran a hand through his hair and Dark realized he looked rather haggard. "I'd recognize this virus anywhere- I worked with the man who made it before they moved me to ground-level building security." Dark put his hands in his pockets and leaned back against the wood of the man's desk, the lighting hiding his face in shadow except for a few highlighted strands of amethyst hair.

"Tell me everything you know." The thief said lowly. "Everything."

As the woman, Inessa, moved the boy to their small but well equipped examination room he began to stir under his jacket, obviously uncomfortable in the thick material. During their flight they'd had to cover him as best he could because the heating in the plane was negligible. Actually, she was getting uncomfortably warm too. She took off her own jacket first and unzipped his before placing him face-up on the examination table. He sat up almost immediately and winced as the bright lights assaulted his corneas. "Where… am I?"

"Base 34, Russia. You wouldn't be able to pronounce the town, and it barely exists anyway." He swallowed and glanced around. Nothing extraordinary except for the lack of windows, so perhaps they were underground. An assortment of regular checkup equipment lay on the table against the wall- a stethoscope, tongue depressor, and needle kit. Everything except for the walls and carpet was stainless steel. This was obviously built for functionality, not comfort.

_As if I'd be comfortable here anyway. _Aisoku thought and jerked as the woman reached for his coat.

"Sorry, but we wanted to examine your wings as soon as possible." He slid the coat off his narrow shoulders and handed it to her as the hairs on his arms stood on end. It wasn't cold, but it certainly wasn't warm by Japan standards. As he shifted he noticed the usual square bulge in his right pocket was missing- they'd taken his cell phone. Not surprising really. A man entered the room, the doctor presumably, and Inessa cleared away into the corner as he approached, her arms crossing. He had dark coloring and was rather scrawny with sterile grey eyes and the perpetual dark circles of a man who spent entirely too much of himself in his work.

"Your late, Lenka." Inessa said almost conversationally and he replied, "In fact, I believe you were. Our agreed time was six fifteen, although I suppose the wound that the White Wings inflicted on-oh." His gaze focused on Aisoku and an unexplained wave of revulsion passed through him, making the hair on his neck stand on end. Something about the way he talked, the way his voice slid through both Russian and Japanese…_If snakes could talk, this is what they'd sound like._

"Hello." Aisoku ventured, feeling like a frog just about to get dissected. Behind Lenka a second man appeared. He was some kind of assistant and had a clipboard in hand, thick black hair and sincere brown eyes. "Hello!" He managed in response to Aisoku and both the boy and Lenka stared at him in surprise. "Oh. . ." He seemed embarrassed and the doctor or whatever he was turned back to Aisoku. "Would you show us the appendages that were so graciously displayed in your neighbors footage, little phantom thief?" So somehow these people had gotten a hold of it. Aisoku fingered the necklace that they'd left in his pocket, those two feathers, black and white and murmured, "It's Aisoku, and what are you going to do to them if I let them out?" The doctor snapped on a pair of gloves and the other man settled into a plain black chair on the other side of Aisoku, next to Inessa. "Just examine them, of course. Maybe take a few samples." _Sure, that doesn't sound suspicious at all. _Still, his wings were cramping up from the many hours of being stuck under his skin. The more he focused in on them the worse they got.

Oh, how good it would feel just to let them out, even for a moment..

. . _Fine, fine. Krad said they were still growing too, didn't he? For now I'll play nice. Then, I'm getting the hell out of here. _Very carefully, he unfolded them and let them rest on either side of him, their damp silver feathers tickling the bare skin on his back and the nape of his neck. Apparently the assistant wasn't prepared for the sight of them because he gasped and uttered an exclamation in Russian that snapped harshly across the small room. "Vlad?" Inessa asked. He covered his mouth and his cheeks lit up. "Um, sorry. I wasn't- I wasn't sure they were real." All three of them were staring at the wings and Lenka maneuvered around one of them, placing a hand at the root of Aisoku's left wing. The plastic felt strange against Aisoku's feathers and they ruffled. Lenka ran his hand up along the curve of the wing and began, "Vlad- write this down. Overall structure seems identical to most bird species, three layers of feathers and etc, with the exception of the shoulder joint, which rests between the shoulder blades…" His hand went back down and across part of Aisoku's back. "…and the supracoracoideus muscle goes underneath his collarbone." His hand went back up and as it rounded the curve of the wing it stopped and seemed to snag against the tip of something.

It sent a shudder through Aisoku and he pulled the wing back, but Lenka eased it back into his hand and pushed on a swollen part the boy hadn't noticed before. Something slid out into place and Lenka observed, "… Also, there appears to be a large dewclaw-two and a half inches from tip to sheath, I'm estimating."

Vlad stood up and joined Lenka, looking very much like a fascinated child as he gently ran his bare finger along the smooth white curve of the claw. "That's badass." Vlad observed. "Thanks." Aisoku managed a smirk. Again, a shiver went through the little thief. Until now he hadn't even known that was there, tucked away just underneath a layer of soft feathers. _Hm. I wonder if Dark or Krad have these too. _He hoped they wouldn't discover anything else- he was beginning to feel more and more like the main attraction of a circus. He missed being with Emiko and Kosuke. . .and his own real parents. At least they were used to wings- didn't shy away or grip them too tightly. Around them he felt fairly normal. The rest of the examination was conducted in pure Russian so Aisoku understood very little. But he was able to gather that Lenka was impatient that his wings weren't fully grown yet, and also irritated at the two spells on ether of his wrists that prevented his magic from surging out of control. As he examined them, his gloves coo and rubbery Aisoku noticed that the curly golden script was getting fainter.

_Didn't Krad say something about these wearing off in a few days. . .? _He rubbed his wrists once Lenka had turned away and wondered when they would let him go home. Probably once they figured out how to replicate the powers they'd seen on the video which would take a heck of a long time considering that he didn't know how to use his powers in the first place, and- "Hey." Someone was shaking one of his extra limbs and he snapped his wing out in irritation, folding it back instantly as he heard a whiny yelp. "Aow! What was that for?" Vlad was holding the side of his face and Aisoku could see a very short, thin cut on his cheek. His eyebrows raised Aisoku immediately apologized and Vlad waved it off as Lenka gave him another glare. Then Inessa came back over and busied herself, rubbing a small cotton-ball of disinfectant onto the crook of Aisoku's left arm and explaining,

" We wanted to take a blood sample- you're not anemic are you? Taken any anticoagulants lately?" He shook his head and the feathers on his wings fluffed out as the sterilized needle slipped under his skin. "Why do you want my blood?" After half a minute the cylinder filled with dark red liquid and she removed it, slapping a bandage into place. She tapped the edge of his soft wing. "To see just how these are possible. These and those powers- you're obviously not all human.

If we map your DNA and compare it to a regular human, it will help explain all of this." "Oh." Aisoku said, not because he wasn't interested in this obvious fact but because he couldn't think of anything else to say. She gave the syringe of blood to Lenka who departed without so much as a goodbye, and Vlad led Aisoku to his 'room' after . It looked like a closet hastily made into a living space, a Harry Potter cupboard under the stairs if there ever was one. There was a folding bed, a sort of dresser and a desk and chair. "How am I supposed to keep myself entertained in here?" Aisoku muttered, his wings shuffling in irritation. Inessa had advised him to hide them but he was warmer with them exposed and aside from that, much more comfortable. Vlad scratched his black hair. "Well the idea was that you mostly only sleep in here, or recover from the surgery tomorrow." He pulled the coat in close around his shoulders. "What? Surgery?"

"Um, yeah. Bone marrow- to test you red blood cell count, and get an idea of bone density I guess." Aisoku swallowed. "I don't. . . I've never had any surgery before." To his surprise, the older teen took his upper arm and squeezed reassuringly, then let it drop back to his side. "I'm sure they'll be really careful with you. You're – really valuable to Lenka's research." He took about thirty sheets of blank paper from his clipboard and a pen and gave it to Aisoku along with a black pen from his pocket. "Here. I don't really have much, but I might be able to smuggle you some books too." Aisoku took the pen and papers from him and he added, "It is technically almost midnight here though, so you should try to sleep."

"Okay." Krad's son replied in a way that he hoped wasn't too dejected. As soon as Vlad pointed out where the bathrooms were he left, and Aisoku began searching the room for any bugs. The problem with this place was they could be anywhere, and since he was the phantom thief's son they'd used the more advanced models in here. It took him a good half-hour to clear the room. He squished them between his thumb and forefinger, six in all, then flopped down into the office chair in front of the desk. Now that he was away from his kidnappers he did feel very tired. He stretched out one wing, then the other, and tugged on a strand of his hair to stay awake. He wrote-

_-Premise ProWireless Intrusion detection system in hallways_

_-possible eight-zone system based on spacing_

_-38-possibility passcodes thrugh doors, etc._

_- 24-hour zone on this floor, underground actual facility based on temperature and lack of windows, as well as ventilation structure._

He then folded the paper in half and by balancing on top of his chair, jiggled a ceiling tile out of place and slipped the paper into the space, then closed it again.

He racked his brain for any other details but couldn't remember anything else for now- he was simply too tired. Aisoku flopped down into the hastily made bed and pulled the covers up to his shoulders, then folded one wing over his torso. As he did, for a half-second he felt a rush of anger and worry in his chest that clearly did not belong to him. If anything, it sort of felt like . . . Krad, in a way. He couldn't really explain how it felt like the blonde other than the sense of a color that came with the feeling- a golden white. _. . . Krad?_ He waited, but the sensation didn't return, and so he settled down into a fretful sleep.

As Krad's tamer slept within the relative safety of Toro's car Krad paced, blocking his feelings from his tamer so the fourteen year old could rest peacefully. At first he had been worried, and sad, but now, true to his nature, the rage had finally kicked in. His tailcoat flapped in the white space of Kiryu's mind and because he was tired of staring at all the white he created a beautiful garden path. In front of him a dirt path snaked away and opulent flowers encroached upon the path, their separate perfumes attracting hordes of plump bumblebees. He paused, assessing his work, and promptly erased the scene. It was much too happy for his current mood. It was replaced by a Mordor-like background, reeking of sulfur, the skies a grey-black. _**. . .Better**__._

He reached out across the link he had to his son again and upon finding him awake couldn't help but let his current emotions seep through. Suddenly, Aisoku reached back out to him with a question he couldn't quite decipher. It was as if they were trying to communicate over loud static. _**Aisoku? Aisoku! **_Krad tried to latch on but even as he did their connection slipped through his mind like water and then he was alone again. It had been reduced to the same hum it always had been, somewhere underneath his sternum. Krad cursed quietly. How much easier this would be if he could simply **ask** where Aisoku was! If he could confirm he was unharmed! He flexed his fingers and imagined he was flexing claws instead. Oh, how he'd like to be set free in whatever dwelling the kidnappers had taken Aisoku. _**Interesting, how the deepest love spawns the most spiteful hate. **_His thoughts were abruptly caught off as he felt the thief's presence outside the car. Dark seemed to pause and after observing Kiryu for a minute, cleared off and went into the Niwa dwelling instead.

As Riku let Dark in she said crisply, "Do you mind if I visit with my son for a while? He has some explaining to do." Dark sighed and conjured up a picture of his love, long-dead now, and his body shrank back. Kyo and Riku talked for a while as he explained what had happened to Aisoku, as well as Dark's intentions to get him back. As a mother of course she was strictly against it. She brought down Daisuke so he would be filled in on all that had happened as well. Daisuke seemed a bit more understanding but if there was one thing Riku "But mom- I want to help Dark get him back. I know you don't trust him, and you don't like him but . . . but it's his son." Kyo stared at his mother and father, trying to get them to understand.

" Besides, he can protect me, and he's pretty much the only person who can break into wherever they've taken Aisoku."

Daisuke asked, "Does Dark know where they've taken him?" and after Kyo nodded Dark talked with both Riku and Daisuke for a good half-hour.

"If you're going to go, then we're coming with you." Dark shook his head, his wine locks swaying. "No." Both the redhead and the brunette stared at him levelly.

"I said no. No- your way too old to be doing this stuff." "We're going with you two." Dark crossed his arms.

"Yeah? Well I'm going with Krad." Riku frowned but Daisuke squeezed her hand and assured. "We'll deal. We're going." "**Hell** no! Absolutely not." Fifteen minutes later they were packing and Dark went back outside to wake up Kiryu. He opened the door with a soft click and shook the boy's shoulder.

"Kiryu. Oi, wake up." The young brown-haired, blue eyed Hikari sat up, and Dark could see how clearly his face resembled his father's. It was almost eerie.

"Road trip. We're gonna stop by Satoshi's house and fill both your parents in on everything. I know Krad's itching to go and rescue Aisoku, but what I want to know is- do you?" Kiryu paused and Dark added, "Because if you aren't, there's gonna be trouble down the road as far as 'taming'-" He used his hands to form quotation marks around the word. "Krad goes." Dropping his joking demeanor, he added, " Really." Kiryu in fact, was more concerned about himself than Aisoku at the moment, but surely he could put his feelings aside. . . Right? "I'll go." He heard himself say, but the entity within him knew his commitment to the whole endeavor was wavered, at best. "I guess… you can go home then, Toro." Kiryu told the butler and he nodded. "Very well, master Hikari." After the butler pulled away from the sidewalk Dark, Daisuke and Riku were stuffed into the minivan, Dark next to Kiryu. The Hikari felt distinctly uncomfortable next to the thief but after a while of his somewhat blasphemous chatter Kiryu loosened up and found himself joking with the purple-haired teen. A Niwa, of all people. "Just get out of my life."

Kiryu sniffed, pretending to be a wounded maiden. Dark shoved him playfully. "But darling, I need you, I'm sorry about those things I said. We can work this out!" Kiryu threw an arm back dramatically, "Oh I can't take it, I just-. . ."

He and Dark trailed off as Riku and Daisuke stared at them from the front seat. Dark coughed. Kiryu cleared his throat. And as the two adults turned back around to face the road, they grinned at each other.


	10. Chapter 10

Aisoku felt like he'd barely begun to sleep when he was yanked out of bed by the same two male lackeys who had helped in the original kidnapping. His blonde hair stuck to the nape of his neck and the inside of his mouth felt like something had crawled up and died inside of it. As for his back, it throbbed with each beat of his heart.

What he wouldn't give for a. . . Did they even have showers here? As he was escorted down the hallway, both his arms in the grip of the two sullen-looking men, he yawned and rubbed his eyes. Where were Vlad and Inessa? He trusted them an infinitesimal bit more than these two. As they spoke to each other in Russian Aisoku indicated the bathroom by jerking his arm at the door.

Both of them paused and Aisoku noticed a purple bruise on the right man's jaw, presumably where Aisoku had struck him when he'd attempted to escape. He was shaking his head, but the man on the left loosened his grip and tapped at his watch to indicate that they weren't going to wait long. He nodded and closed the door behind him. The bathroom was all white except for the muted tan tiles and countertops, and as he glanced in the mirror he winced. At the moment he looked like a meth addict from lack of sleep. After he did his business and washed his hands, he started rummaging around and found a plastic-wrapped toothbrush and some toothpaste. He set to work on his teeth, doing a three-sixty turn so he could see the entire bathroom. There was a spray nozzle shower head, which was a relief to see, and a grate sunk down between the tiles. No curtain, no tub. _. . .Wow. Okaaay, I'll make that work somehow._ It looked like it had been added in last-minute. Aisoku spat and went back out into the hallway where he was escorted down a labrynth of similar-looking hallways into the same examination room he'd been in yesterday. Only this time the counters were cleared of examination equipment and filled with surgery equipment. The scalpels in particular, shining dully in the sterile light, made his skin contract with fear.

The two men made it clear that he was to sit on the table, and then left, leaving him to stare at the menagerie of tools he hoped weren't going to be used on him. Vlad entered a few moments later dressed in loose pants and a semi-wrinkled shirt, rubbing his eyes. He startled and swatted Aisoku's wing away as the boy stroked his arm in an attempt to wake him up.

"Augh, I'm awake already. . ." Aisoku saw the shudder that ran through the teen and sighed, folding his wing close. "Sorry. Just gets old, you know. Everyone freaking out about these."

Vlad nodded and took Aisoku's pulse, made a scribbled note on his clipboard, and placed the eraser in his mouth thoughtfully. After a moment, he reached out and ran a naked hand across Aisoku's left wing. "Huh. Do they hurt?" Aisoku looked down. They had grown a few inches during the night and his back felt raw and torn. "As they grow." He reached over one shoulder and rubbed gently to alleviate the pressure. It felt like they were beginning to push against his shoulder blades. Vlad went over to the counters and donned a pair of gloves, then began messing around with the syringes and explained, "I'll be your anesthesiologist for this, by the way. Lenka and Inessa will be conducting the surgery." _Of course. _He flipped the papers on his clipboard over to the notes taken before and said, "Well, we already gave you the physical yesterday and because of your heritage I'm going to start you out with half the dosage for your body weight. Go ahead and lie down." Aisoku did, folding his wings up and away so they wouldn't be smashed by his weight. "My heritage?" He nodded, "The bird part, that is. I definitely don't want to give you too much."

The blonde shook his head gently. "Oh, that's reassuring." Vlad sterilized Aisoku's arm, "Oh, hush. I've been in this line of work longer than you've been alive." and slipped the needle in, injecting the sedative slowly. "Now count backwards from twenty." He said quietly, letting Aisoku grip his arm as he swallowed down his rising fear. What if something went wrong? What if this was the last thing he saw, these damn white walls and the blur of a man he didn't even know.

"Nineteen, eighteen, seventeen…" He felt his hand relax and as it slid down onto the table, and as it did, Vlad rested his hand on Aisoku's forehead.

"I'm…" Aisoku had the feeling whatever he was saying was important, but no matter how hard he tried to listen the words seemed to blur together, his vision faded and finally, he let himself go.

* * *

Kiryu opted for a nap in the van as the Niwa's and the Hikari's had a discussion about all that was happening. So far it wasn't going all that well. Kyo had transformed in order to give both families all the phantom thief had learned from that neighbor and Dark now rested on the couch next to Daisuke and a distinctly ruffled-looking Satoshi. "Kiryu is **not **going to Russia!"

Risa put her hands on her hips and rolled back her shoulders in a challenge. Dark, with his legs splayed and his arms folded behind his head pointed out, "It's kinda irrelevant wither you want him to or not-Krad's going, therefore Kiryu is." Risa had long since gotten over her crush on Dark but nonetheless was profoundly irked by his presence in her home. And of course, the fact that he was wearing clothes that were a bit too small for him didn't help any. "Oh really?" She brushed down her skirt and made for the door. "I'm going to have a talk with that blonde-haired b-"

Dark laughed a bit nervously and blocked her path with a single arm, not unkindly. "I know you're not really familiar with Krad, but he's in a bit of a killing mood right now because of Aisoku."

She crossed her arms with a look of disbelief. "Since when has he been worried about someone else?" Dark shrugged, "Since Aisoku, I guess. He's… a little different now." Riku, on the opposite couch, asked her sister softly, "Please sit down, Risa. I didn't want to do this at first either but Dark's son… he really needs to be back with them." Riku sighed and glanced at Satoshi first, who invited her to sit next to him on the soft blue couch. She sat and the blue-haired man put his arm around her waist, and she put her hand on his knee.

After a moment, she explained, "I'm sorry, but you have to understand… It's different with him-" She pointed a finger at the thief who raised one thick eyebrow.

"…Because you can trust him, more or less, to take care of Kyo. If we let Kiryu go-really, the only person who can reign Krad in is Dark, and- We just don't want our son getting hurt."

As she spoke she was reminded of when she had first met Krad.

Satoshi had been beating around the bush about his other half's existence and the curse had gotten quite sick of it. She had sometimes seen little glimpses of yellow every now and again in Satoshi's eyes but that had been, until that day, the extent of her interactions with him. It had been a cold foggy day and so the two of them couldn't be seen by anyone else on the beach, if there were any other souls around. They'd been chatting about nothing in particular when, as their eyes met, he put a hand on his chest and winced harshly. "Satoshi? What's wrong?" She'd taken his arm in her hand, feeling the cool slick film of moisture on his otherwise warm flesh and heard an amused breathy laugh from Satoshi. " Damn, I said…" She swallowed and looked at the ground. "Satoshi, if it's Krad, just let him out. I know that you'll protect me…" Actually, she didn't, and still remembered the way her voice wavered as she finished, "… and I need to meet him sooner or later." She'd stroked that soft blue hair and held him up as his knees threatened to buckle. "It's okay, Satoshi. It will be fine."

The last part was a whisper and as she felt him relax, she wondered if Krad had simply decided against emerging. The muscle she was holding suddenly bulged under her grip.

She watched it first, then her gaze moved upward as Satoshi's shoulders widened and deepened, the fabric seeming to shrink as his body grew. His hair tumbled down past his shoulders and faded out from blue, to colorless, and then to a thick brassy gold and knotted itself at the back of his head. As it did she heard a soft clunk and noticed that at the end of the ponytail hung a small marble cross. She forced her eyes back up to his face and found it foreign, angular and almost feminine.

Except for the eyes. The cat-yellow, slitted eyes that narrowed even as she looked at them. He removed his arm from her grip and turned away from her, crossing his arms over the sun-bleached railing that didn't hold a candle to his own ivory skin.

"So you are my tamer's sacred maiden." His voice was black velvet, low, and she found it hard to believe it came from the same chords as her dear Satoshi's crisp, polite speech.

"I am." She came up and stood next to him near the railing, crossing her own arms and looking out onto the sea, making sure not to touch him. He gave off the aura of …something unpredictable. A stray dog. No, that wasn't quite right… "I expect, then, for you to bring him many years of happiness." He still didn't look at her. His mouth was tight, like he was looking for a reason to lash out at her. "And so we meet, and now I shall go, because it is not necessary to-"

"Stay." She interrupted. "I know that it's not 'necessary' for me to fall in love with you …for you to disappear. Why won't you look at me?"

"Because mortals don't like my eyes." She frowned. "You've barely given me a chance to see them." He turned and was about to glare when she placed a hand on the side of his face, making his eyes widen. "I like them." He took her hand from his face,and his eyes held a pain she'd never seen before glazing back to fetid yellow."You like things that you shouldn't."

She blinked herself out of her memory. Risa was saying,"…We thought that they won't transform until they actually have to go into the base so that way, so they're be as little contact between those two as possible." Dark scratched his ear. "Well, he usually starts it anyway." Riku snorted. "Uh huh, sure Dark. That's not what Kyo's told me."

"Eh? Wait, what did he-" She cut him off. "Anyway, I think we can all manage to fit into the van. It'll be a bit of a squeeze, and we'll have to keep Kyo and Kiryu separated."

"Actually, Kiryu and I get along pretty well." Riku and Daisuke looked at each other. "Yeah… but still. He is Krad's tamer, and I don't want you two wailing on each other inside my van." Dark suddenly slapped his knee. "Oh, I almost forgot."He reached into his pocket and took out a scrap of paper, then handed it to Satoshi. "Krad gave me this before he transformed back. I dunno what it is but he said to give it to you guys, to help finance the trip." He looked at it for a moment in shock and murmured, "This is the code to get into the entire Hikari inheritance. I thought… I thought only my mother knew that code." Dark smirked, "Nice. So now that money's no worry, how about you two pack up and we get going?" For a moment all of them stared at the thief, then Risa finally relented by pointing a finger into Dark's face and announcing, "Alright, but you are not to provoke him in any way or there'll be hell to pay, **got it**?" He saluted her merrily.

"Yes, ma'am." She and her husband stood up to get packed and she brushed past the phantom coolly, "It's Mrs. Hikari now, if you don't mind." and Satoshi hung back and asked, "If he's not in Krad's form right now, do you mind if I fetch him? To pack his clothes." The Niwa's all nodded and after a few moments Kiryu and his father entered their home. As he walked past Dark the young Hikari mouthed '_How did it go?' _and Dark gave him the discreet thumbs-up. In another half-hour the twin sisters, their husbands and their two sons were all mashed into the van. Riku and Daisuke were at the front, with Dark in a seat all to himself in the middle and Satoshi, Risa and Kiryu in the back seats. The drive from their home to the Aomori Airport was about six hours and so Dark fished out Kiryu's ipod from his dark wash jeans and stuck the cherry-red buds into his ears, stretching out his body and taking up the space of three people. The first one to fall asleep was Satoshi, then Risa, and Dark soon afterward, his purple hair flopping down and obscuring his eyes.

The young Hikari waited for him to turn back into Kyo, but when he didn't, came to a decision.

Now, without any direct adult supervision, Kiryu needed to mess with Dark. He glanced down the road- they seemed to be on a long highway, so it would be fine for him to unbuckle his seatbelt for just a moment. He leaned forward and as he watched Dark he realized the phantom thief must be having a dream. His leg muscles were twitching, and every once in a while he made a sound similar to a small chuckle. "They're gonna catch you." He muttered into the thief's ear. He got very quiet for a moment, eyebrows drawn close together and then relaxed again.

"See?" He continued to whisper. "There they are again. You've made a mistake." He smirked as the thief tensed up and seemed to draw into himself, assuming a stance almost like a crouch. Suddenly the car came to a halt and Kiryu was thrown straight over the seat and into the lap of the sleeping thief with an audible 'whud'! He got to his hands and knees, his knees on either side of Dark and his hands on either side of his head, the purple hair pinned. "Aooow…"

Daisuke and Riku turned around just as Dark awoke and murmured sleepily, "As much as I'm tempted I'm sorry to say I can't accept your offer…"and smirked as Kiryu scrambled off of him with,

"S-shut up, I fell!"

Dark started laughing so hard he held his ribs to stay in the seat as both Riku and Daisuke promptly turned around and barked, "Kiryu knock it off!"Daisuke added what he hoped was a glare in Dark's direction. "It was-it was his fault!" Kiryu pointed at Dark as he strapped himself back in his seat with his face red up to his ears. Of course his mother and father woke up from the commotion and Dark smirked at him through the crack in the fabric that separated them. For a good half-hour after the Hikari's chewed their son out, everything within the van was quiet. Then came the whispered, "This was all your fault."

"Was not."

"Was."

"Just get out."

"I never loved you."

"I was having an affair with your milkmaid."A snort.

"Well I was having one with the stable boy, Roberto." Another snort. "Kiryu." Satoshi cuffed his son lightly behind his ears. "Aow!"


	11. Chapter 11

As the Niwa and Hikari families were going through the many steps of checking, many of the people in the airport were giving Dark strange looks, doing double-takes, and generally making him feel like he was some sort of terrorist. He nudged Riku-"Hey, I'm gonna go change into Kyo alright? Be right back." and she nodded, searching through her luggage and transferring a few books into her carry-on. He walked down the many halls of the airport with a swagger in his stride, observing the many cute foreign girls who caught his eye.

He looped his thumbs in his pockets and smiled at one of them before casually slinking into the men's room. Luckily for him, it was so crowded that no one would be keeping track of who was coming and going and more specifically, that one of them had come in a seventeen-year-old stud and come out a fourteen-year-old redhead. Kyo's stomach growled and he realized it had been a good five hours since he'd last eaten. That and being Dark for so long usually made him hungry, for some odd reason. Each food stand he walked by mocked him with an array of delicious smells- warm bread, steaming beef, hot mustard and soups and ramen and mitarashi dango and… By the time he arrived back at Riku's side he felt like he was starving.

"Hey mom can you give me some money to go and-" She stopped him by putting a finger on his lips, a motion that he hated. "Hush dear- we're having some problems with our passports."

"But-" He glanced over at Kiryu who had the same look of need and motioned for him to continue.

"Kiryu's hungry too! We'll just take a minute!" Riku sighed- really, why couldn't they have had a sweet little girl? She blamed Daisuke for that one. Oh well. She handed them both some yen and shooed them off. "And make sure to come back before our plane leaves- you have half an hour you two!" The two boys scampered over to the nearest fast-food joint they could find and in fifteen minutes, were busy wolfing down steaming helpings of burgers, fries and a large chocolate shake each. As Kyo nearly choked on his burger Kiryu commented,

"You know, that phantom thief really isn't the demon everyone makes him out to be. I'll bet you never get locked out of your house." Kyo swallowed the hunk of beef that had threatened his life and nodded. "Yep, pretty handy in those situations. But I'll bet Krad doesn't randomly take over your body to go flirt with some hot chicks that happen to walk by."

_It only happened once…_Dark grumbled in the back of Kyo's mind. "Nope. He's been pretty quiet actually." _... in the 'waiting to strike like a coiled snake' kind of way. _In the back of Kryu's mind Krad barely listened and was a little irked at how well the two sons seemed to be getting along. But unlike with Satoshi, he kept his mouth shut. They would learn in time that a friendship between the two families was impossible. He stretched his wings and folded them, tucking a few stray strands of golden hair behind his ear.

* * *

_Beep_

…

…

… "_Lenka he's flat lining." Silence. The sound of metal snipping flesh._

"_I'm almost d-"_

"_This isn't time for almost you son of a bitch he's flat lining! Sew him up! Do it right now!" Grey eyes narrowed. _

" _I don't appreciate your emotional connection to the subject, Inessa. It's making you-" To her relief, he put down the scalpel, and picked up the sterile needle and 'thread', stitching up the boy's caramel colored skin and putting gentle pressure on the cut with gauze. "Dull." There was a tense silence as they both waited for Aisoku to stabilize, and Inessa swallowed her growing panic. She wasn't here for this. She wasn't here to kill anyone. After about twenty seconds the monitor picked up a beat again and suddenly she could breathe._

Krad's eyes widened. The connection to Aisoku- something that hadn't changed in the last twenty two years… It was gone, like someone had snuffed out a candle. He couldn't feel him at all. It was as if Aisoku had been wiped off the face of the earth. _Aisoku? _Nothing. Not even the hum of sleep.

_AISOKU!_ Kyo nearly jumped out of his skin as Kiyu's eyes turned an alarming shade of yellow, so wide he could see the white all around the golden orbs. His breathing was hitched and irregular and he griped the side of the table with Kiryu's hand, teetering on the border of fully transforming in the middle of the food court. Dark pushed himself to the front of Kyo's shocked mind, turning his red eyes purple, and forced the panicking blonde to focus on him. "Krad, look at me. What's-" Krad snapped, "I can't sense Aisoku! I can't- it's like he doesn't exist!"

The phantom thief felt his stomach drop. _Doesn't exist? They wouldn't-_

The White Wings didn't know what to do, what to say. It was as if his mind had completely shut down and his thoughts reeled around in a repetitive circle-_…Oh God oh no please no…_

His mouth was open, his pupils contracted to little black pinpoints. Vaguely, he was aware of his other half saying something, trying to get him back to the real world, to him. But Krad was not interested in this human world if his son wasn't in it. He called again and again, his thought-voice reaching an almost hysterical pitch, stretching out his inhuman senses to their limit when unexpectedly Aisoku's presence flooded into his being.

He was back.

He was alive.

And even more amazing, he heard his son's voice in his head… _dad? It's okay. _

The rest of his words were obscured, like always, but it was enough. Kiryu's body, which had been coiled tighter than a boa's deadly embrace, relaxed into the cheap foam chair. Pupils widened, and the white's of Krad's eyes lessened to a normal range. "He's back." Krad murmured and felt self conscious of the half-dozen people who had looked their way at his outburst. "Sorry."Dark blinked and let out a shaky sigh.

"It's fine. I think…We might want to leave the families here after all." Yellow eyes looked down in agreement then disappeared entirely and in a few moments the tamers were in full control again.  
They blinked and stared at each other in surprise and fear. "So that's Krad huh?" Kyo sipped at the remainder of his shake and kept an eye on the young Hikari. It wasn't like the Niwa's were completely unfamiliar with the way Krad treated his tamers, but he didn't seem hurt, just shaken. "Y-yeah." He reached for the rest of his burger and ignored the way the tips of his fingers throbbed. Although Krad had healed the wounds made from sprouting those wicked cat claws, sometimes they still ached. The White Wings was curled in the back of his mind and if he didn't know any better he'd say that Krad was still dazed from the sudden cut-off of Aisoku's mind. "He's pretty scary. Could you warn me before doing that? I almost pissed myself." Kiryu almost choked on his milkshake, then started to laugh. "Wha-what?" Kyo laughed with him. "You heard me. Those yellow eyes…Whoo! You could be the star of a horror movie!" They finished their meals and went back to their parents, who were still dealing with the passport issues. After they were all seated together Kyo said quietly to Riku, "Mom? I think…Dark and Krad want to go by themselves."

She blinked and turned to him. "What? No, that's way too dangerous. Not only for you." He saw the way she glanced over in Kiryu's direction. Dark took over the boy's voice and said quietly, "Riku. Krad can sense Aisoku's presence. Even when he's asleep. But just a few moments ago he lost contact with him for about twenty seconds. We need to get to him as soon as possible, and I know that Kyo and Kiryu's passports were already accepted." She sighed deeply and clasped her hands together. Damn, how he wished he was in his other form so he could put an arm around her, reassure her that he was going to take care of her son and do his best to keep blondie under control. Daisuke was lucky to have a girl like her. She nodded, just barely and turned to Daisuke whispering Dark's plan into his ear. The redhead glanced into those deep wine-colored eyes. "You'd better take care of him, Kiryu too." Dark glanced over at the Hikari family.

"They're never going to agree to this." Daisuke scratched the back of his head. "They uh…don't have to." He pulled out Kiryu's passport and handed it to the thief. "His luggage is right over there and the flight leaves in five minutes. We'll get them to understand somehow." Dark found himself hugging the redheaded father. _Heh… I still remember when I had to lean down to hug you, Daisuke._ The Niwa snorted. _Well I'm taller than you now, so we're even._ The phantom thief raised an eyebrow. _On a good day, maybe._ He slipped the passport into his jacket and waited until Kiryu had separated from his parents before persuading him to grab his bags and follow the redhead onto their flight to Russia.

The flight was about three hours long and after the first hour and a half Kyo was bored out of his mind. He needed something to do, and quick, otherwise he'd just flip out, go Dark and start making passes at that stewardess that kept asking him if he wanted anything. "Psst." He nudged Kiryu in the side, who at this point would have given his left arm for some decent sleep. "What, Kyo."

"Give me something to do. Anything." Kiryu looked around. "Go steal that apple juice from that guy, then put it back before he notices it's gone." Kiryu watched in surprise as he did just that, then came back with a smug look on his face. "Piece of cake. Give me something harder." If any of the stewardesses had been paying close attention they would have noted the unusual amount of items that had rearranged themselves on flight 73, and might have connected it to the Niwa name. But luck was on their side and they arrived at the Russian airport without any problems. The first thing they did was get all their money converted from yen to rubles. Then they both went into the bathroom and transformed, changing into outfits Dark somehow obtained that would fit and protect them against the bitter cold. Krad zipped up the dark blue jacket over his undershirt, and then pulled on the pants in the bathroom stall next to the thief. He tapped on the wall.

"Dark, what is wrong with these pants?"They were …well, tight in the general crotch/butt area, and around the ankles.

"They're skinny jeans Krad, they're supposed to be like that." He replied and pulled on a black wolf-fur trimmed jacket.

"Well I don't appreciate where they… Just go get another pair." The Kaitou pulled on his own jeans and matching black boots, then checked his watch. "I don't have time to cater to your every style whim, Casper. We gotta go get the rental car." Krad growled mutedly and fussed with them, but eventually gave up and pulled on his boots, crossing his arms and waiting as the thief made adjustments to his outfit. Finally he emerged and grinned from ear to ear at the sight of the obviously uncomfortable angel.

"Nice legs." Krad flushed a deep scarlet, "You-!" and would have blasted him with electricity had a man not trotted into the bathroom at that exact moment. The light in his palm faded and the two of them went out to the front of the airport, still carrying their tamer's luggage. "You did get us a taxi didn't you?" Krad asked, his hair escaping his hood and blowing to one side in fine golden strands. "Eheh...Well, sort of." He darted out in front of the next taxi like a deer and blocked its path, shouting, "Oi! Возвращаться!" Miraculously instead of getting mown down like Krad logically assumed he would be the driver allowed both of them inside, took their money, and drove off. "See? If you stick with me, everything turns out alright in the end." He said cheerfully, admiring the architecture of the strange buildings they passed by. "That remains to be seen, and since when did you speak Russian?" Krad said quietly and yawned- by Japanese standards it was almost two in the morning.

He couldn't wait to burrow into the sheets that awaited them at the hotel.

"Since I lived there for a few years, back about one hundred years ago- don't you remember?" Krad pulled up his feet and tucked his hands deep in his pockets.

"Oh. I had forgotten. I assumed all you did there was steal and drink." Dark chuckled. "Well, there is that." The thief put his arms behind his head and leaned down into the seat, relaxed and comfortable. As the car rumbled along through feet-deep snow he glanced over in Krad's direction, since he'd been pretty quiet the last few minutes. His eyes were closed and his white eyelashes cast grey shadows on his cheekbones. Dark suppressed the urge to shove him in the shoulder and wake him up, and instead checked his watch. Damn, they'd missed the appointment. He called and set up another one for the following day. He looked at Krad in irritation and a tingly fuzziness went up his spine. Seeing Krad asleep reminded him of those late nights and early mornings where he'd hop out of bed and assure the barely-conscious blonde that he could go back to sleep, the thief would take care of the baby.

Sometimes Aisoku would need to be fed or changed and then he'd go right to sleep but other times he simply wanted to be held. Dark would gather him up and curl into the chair downstairs, sometimes in only boxers. He'd hold the baby up against his bare chest and murmur nothing in particular, stroking his blonde hair and chubby arms until the crying lessened and finally stopped.

He'd close his eyes and let his chin barely rest on top of that tiny head, feeling his little folded arms, legs and the beat of his miniscule heart.

He missed that. He missed just being around Aisoku. Their taxi skidded to a halt and he shook the blonde awake and then nearly dragged him and all their luggage up to their room. "G'night." He said quietly, not even bothering to change as he slid into the bed on the right. "Night." His other half answered as his body morphed back into Kiryu's form.

* * *

Aisoku dragged himself up into consciousness. He could feel Krad's mind in a crazed panic, swirling around in his head. What was wrong? His drugged brain didn't understand why his father was almost hysterical. He didn't bother to open his eyes, or attempt to move his muscles…_.dad? It's okay. I'm here. I'm okay._ He felt that yellow-gold presence relax and wrap around him in relief like a thick blanket. And he couldn't help but fall back into a deep, comforting sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

It was cold.

His right arm throbbed with each beat of his heart and his head felt like someone had given his skull a good shake and let his brain bounce around on the inside. "Uugh. I feel like crap."

He murmured without opening his eyes and a dry voice said beside him, "That is to be expected. You were clinically dead for about thirty seconds." Purple eyes snapped open and he sat up, wincing as a needle tugged against his injured arm. "I guess we can take you off the i.v now." Vlad muttered, his tone indicating that he wasn't happy with the current situation.

"I told them not to adjust the time for the surgery, that it was best to keep it under a half an hour, but did they listen? Nooo…" They were in the examination room and alone by the looks of it.

He slid the needle out, put a bandage on the tiny hole, and tapped a metallic device Aisoku hadn't noticed was around his neck. "You have any idea what this is for? They won't tell me."

"N… no. I was dead?" _So that's why Krad… _He fingered the metal band. It was thick, flat against his skin and had no distinguishing marks besides the fact it was made of- he counted- nine different sections. "Well, yeah…" Vlad sighed. "They're blaming me though, because I didn't give them an outline for a surgery for a longer time. I'll be sent back in…two days, I think?" He scratched his hair and gave Aisoku a long look. "You're the phantom thief's son right? If you have any plans to get out of here, I'd do them as soon as your arm heals- about when I'll be leaving."

"Hmm." Was all Aisoku said because the room was probably bugged. His fingers were still exploring the band, searching for a weak seam. The back of the collar was much heavier than the front and he couldn't slide it around his neck at all. In fact even getting just his nail under it all he felt was more smooth metal. How did they even get this on him? And more importantly how the heck was he supposed to get it off? "I'm supposed to escort you back to your room. They seem to trust me with that much, at least." Vlad helped him up. "Can I take a shower or something first?"

Aisoku didn't mean for that whiny tone to sneak in but at the same time, could almost feel the layer of grime on his skin. And he wasn't about to ask if he needed one. "Yeah- just leave the gauze on- I'll tell Inessa to rewrap it later." He went and retrieved a towel and some soap from a closet down the hallway, and a set of clothes that Vlad admitted were his, "But the ones they got for you were at least two sizes to small so…" Aisoku unfolded the shirt and shrugged, "It looks like they'll fit. I'll have to cut slits for my wings though. Thank you." Vlad made a little wounded sound as they stood in front of the bathroom door. "Do you have to butcher my shirt? I liked that one."

"Your- well alright." The sheets in his 'room' seemed thick enough to let him sleep with no shirt on. As he stepped inside he raised an eyebrow as Vlad leaned against the wall.

"Uh, you can go, you know." The black-haired man shook his head. "Not really. I'm not supposed to let you be 'unattended'." Aisoku snorted.

"I'm not gonna do anything. I'm just a harmless little injured boy remember?" Vlad wrinkled his nose. "Mm hmm. If it makes you feel better I'm gonna sneak a book as soon as you close that door." Aisoku did and waited until he heard the footsteps down the hallway before stripping and turning on the water. Just as his hand touched the water he jerked back with a startled curse. It was absolutely ice cold. His wing feathers fluffed and the curves hugged his shoulders. He waited a good five minutes before the water became bearably warm, and then soaped up his hair and body. Well, his escape wouldn't be all that hard once his arm was back in order. He stared down at it reproachfully. It hurt to rotate his wrist, to even flex it tight enough to hold the soap.

Oh well- he'd always been a fast healer.

* * *

"You just…let them go." Satoshi said coldly, dragging Daisuke aside so they could avoid riling the two twins up.

"Have you lost your mind, Niwa? Do you not remember the relationship Krad has with his tamers- what he had with me?" His usually smooth voice became glottal as he sat heavily into a smooth plastic bench and Daisuke realized with a sinking feeling that he had pushed a grown man close to snapping. "I remember but Satoshi near the end you and he were switching bodies willingly…I thought-" The front of the redhead's shirt constricted as Satoshi grabbed him suddenly by the collar.

"Well, whatever you thought, you were wrong! Any understanding I may have had with him ended the moment he was reborn in my son's body."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the sudden burst of anger and he added, "He's made that…quite clear."

Looking into the redhead's wide doe-like eyes the blunette realized he really wasn't mad at Daisuke at all- he was mad at himself. Mad for not preparing his son for Krad and all that he could, and most likely would do. Mad because so many happy Krad-free years had gone by he'd almost forgotten the fate of the Hikari men. Daisuke put a hand around the Hikari's clenched marble wrist, noticed it was shaking. "I'm sorry-" Satoshi dropped his hand and sat back down and his hands slid up to cover his eyes.

"Niwa… A person from your clan couldn't understand. When Risa and I found out we were going to have a boy… we cried. We thought we could get away from that, at least for a while."

His voice got quieter and Niwa almost had to lean in to hear, "Even now Kiryu could be in pain-and I'm not there-I can't protect him from-" The Hikari swallowed once, twice and when he lifted his eyes they were clear, the redness around cornflower blue the only sign he'd been under any emotional stress. "I'm going after them." The redhead looked down. He hadn't realized that Satoshi's job of taming the yellow-eyed blonde hadn't translated to his son. This complicated things- it meant the only one who could keep Krad under control…was Dark, since Kiryu was obviously not made of the same steel of his father. "I want to come with you." Satoshi shook his head.

"Niwa, I don't want you to be at the mercy of him. I may be old but I'm the only other person besides the phantom thief who can stop him if he decides… to do something rash. You know that he would do _anything _to get Aisoku back." He shook his head once more.

"No- I'm the chief of police- I should have enough ties up-top to let this little passport mix-up slide." Niwa's eyes widened. "But Risa won't want you to go by yourself."

"I think she'll understand. She will be much safer here, and Riku as well." Satoshi stood up again, the lines of his body taunt with tension. The redhead murmured, " I know." and cleared his throat. "Maybe it wasn't a good idea to get them involved in the first place." Satoshi snorted.

"Perhaps. She won't be happy of course. But the she always was one to put up a fight." His voice held a twinge of fondness. The Hikari turned to head back and after a moment the redhead matched his quick pace and they walked back to their wives side by side in a tired, but comfortable silence.

* * *

"Nuh?" Dark rubbed his eyes and stretched, glancing around at the unfamiliar ceiling. Well, it wasn't the first time he'd woken up in a strange hotel with no recollection of the night before.

_Wha-What! _Kyo stuttered and Dark nudged him back into sleep so he could get a good idea of what was going on. He rolled over and was surprised to see bright blonde hair spreading out in tendrils on the blue and white sheets of the bed next to him. _Huh. Usually I don't go for blondes. _He must have really lost track of things. His brain still muddled from sleep, Dark detangled himself from his sheets and clad in only his usual purple boxers, slipped into the bed next to him and cuddled up to the form in it.

"Mooornin'…" He purred into the woman's ivory-colored ear.

Just at the second he realized that the shoulders he was hugging were rather-well, wide, the blonde rolled over and stared at him with his mouth agape.

"Dark?" Silence. Outside the hotel, a flock of geese took off in alarm as a cry of disgust ripped across the barren fields.

"G-god dammit Krad what the Hell!" Dark had fallen off the bed in his mad scramble to get away from the hunter and was now gesticulating wildly from his spot on the floor.

"I could say the same to you, you pervert!" He accentuated the last word with a half-assed kick at Dark's head. " I'm not another one of your flings, okay?" The blonde was red up to his ears and flung his sheets and pillow viciously in Dark's direction, the pillow connecting with a solid 'thwack'. "Oaw! That hurt you damn girly-man!" Krad rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh."It's not my fault you misidentify me so easily. So much for a good night's sleep…" The thief emerged from the pile of sheets, one cheek slightly more red than the other and announced,

"I'm going to take a shower. Don't you dare do anything …weird while I'm gone." Yellow eyes looked at him with a distinctly bored expression.

"I think you've already won the award for the weirdest wake-up call. I don't know if I'll be able to top that." The phantom gritted his teeth. "Why I- you- it was…" He walked over to the bathroom stiff-legged and just as he was about to slam the door when Krad said casually, "You will be missing breakfast if you take longer than seven minutes." His tan hand froze in midair as Krad walked past him and opened the front door to their room, weaving their only key slowly between his fingers. "Bye bye now."

"Krad-!" The door clicked shut and Dark yanked on a pair of jeans before sprinting out after him. He glanced back and forth down the tan colored hall and raised an eyebrow. Krad was fast but he wasn't _that _fast. He strode down the hallway, checking every corner, but when it became apparent his other half was no longer on the same floor he growled mutedly and started down the stairs. Maybe somehow Krad had made it to the stairwell without him noticing. Either way he still really needed breakfast. As soon as the third-floor hallway was completely empty a small anomaly appeared underneath one of the brighter halogen light bulbs. It shimmered and grew, stretching down onto the floor and up almost six feet before finally settling on the shape of a smug seventeen year old blonde. He twirled the room key once happily and went down to the opposite end of the hallway, where the other stairwell led straight to the breakfast room. Krad naturally arrived back at the room before his other half and was enjoying a glass of milk with pancakes and a three-egg omelet when he heard the padding gait of his other half.

He put his glass down, clicked he timer on his watch, and picked up a fork.

Within fifteen seconds his other self was inside, spreading out his rather opulent breakfast onto their table and giving Krad a small glare before digging into his food. "Just keeping you sharp." Krad said with a small grin. "I'm thinking the security on base will be more advanced than a simple card-lock." The phantom said between gulps and Krad nodded.

"Indeed. What's our plan of action as far as narrowing down which base Aisoku is in? You mentioned at least three before." Dark pointed his egg-laden fork at Krad.

"That's where you come in. Or at least, in part. I won't even have to get inside if you can tell where he is- theoretically I figured we'd just drive out to all three, figure out which one he's in and go from there." He took an enormous glug of orange juice and continued, "That neighbor guy had only worked at one- the sovetskaya research station- so he wasn't sure if that was where they were keeping him now, since the company works at all three areas." Krad had finished his omelet and was busy drowning his pancake in a mix of syrup and butter. He was about to point out that the sense he shared of Aisoku's well-being wasn't exactly as accurate as a locator, but it'd probably work well enough.

"We should drive out to the one farthest away first, then." Dark nodded, unable to speak as he'd just placed an enormous amount of bacon in his mouth.

When he'd swallowed he asked, "Yeah. In Khabarovski. But how is he, buy the way?" and Krad paused for a moment.

"Fairly well. They've injured one of his arms... But he's not in an enormous amount of pain." Dark's grin faltered. "Oh. Well we should go catch a cab pretty soon because I rescheduled the rental car meeting for eleven, so…" He trailed off as Krad's gaze pierced him and barked, "What?" The White Wings startled a bit, almost dropping the last bit of pancake from his fork. "Oh. Hmm." Dark prodded him with his knife. "What? What is it?" Krad shook his head, "Nothing." and removed from his mind the thought that the soft amethyst of Dark's eyes brought him any comfort.

They certainly weren't the same as Aisoku's at all-not one bit.

"How long is it going to take us?" Dark put his plastic dishes in the trash and estimated "About the whole day really- seven hours to get there." By the time Krad had finished Dark was already ready to go and had somehow managed to catch a cab for them, which was already parked in the overhang at the front of their hotel. "What kind of rental are we getting anyway?" Krad grumbled as he pulled his hood tighter. It had begun to snow again, and added to a severe wind was pummeling all the warmth out of his already too-lean body. "I dunno. They'll have it for us when we get there." The thief answered a little too cheerfully. Krad narrowed his eyes at him as they climbed into the cab. In reality Dark had already put in an order for a Rolls-Royce Phantom which, although wasn't in any way stealthy was in every way stylish. Besides, he'd always wanted to drive one and they attracted chicks like crazy.

From the right seat Krad muttered, "I hope you didn't put an order in for anything..flashy. We're not here on vacation, and that might attract unwanted attention."

_Psh. If it'd been up to you you woulda had me driving some dinky minivan._ Instead of responding he cleared his throat and looked out as they passed a particularly gothic-style church.

"Dark." He blinked innocently.

"What?" Krad crossed his arms, his black boots still coated in half-melted snow.

"What kind of car did you order." In the front seat Krad saw the driver incline his head to listen for Dark's answer. "You know, a compact. So- how come your all curled up like that?" The change of subject worked; Krad frowned and buried himself deeper in his jacket. "If you must know I am not well-suited to cold climates." Dark was perfectly fine in his jacket, even a bit on the warm side. "Aww Kraddykins. You want my jacket?" As he unzipped the black coat Krad sneered at him, "No. If you ever call me that again I'll kill you." and Dark paused. Only for a minute though. Just long enough to see a shiver pass through the blonde's body. "Take it Krad."

Krad's lip curled. " No." Another awkward pause and then Dark's temper got the better of him.

"You'll take it and you'll like it got dammit!" With that he leapt at the hunter and there was a brief scuffle.

"Get off me- child molester!" The cab driver watched from his mirror with interest.

"Oh that's rich considering you- you ax murderer!"

Bang.

"It only happened once-!" Kick, flail.

"You egotistical, conceited-rrgh!" There was a thud.

"No-no, you cat burglar! Purse-snatcher! Mugger! Auug….curses." Krad sat with his pink lip sticking out in an unhappy pout, trussed up tight as a Christmas turkey in Dark's jacket. His face was flushed and his blonde hair had escaped some of his ponytail, trailing down one shoulder. As added insurance the thief was holding both ends of the jacket down on either side and grinned at the blonde in triumph. Just as he did the taxi driver made an illegal u turn into a parking space and announced in Russian that they had arrived. Krad sighed in relief as Dark turned to pay the man and promptly detangled himself, shoving the furred hood down over the thief's head before freezing in place at the sight of the vehicle they were to be taking.

"A Rolls Royce Phantom. You- you got us a…"

"Heheh." Dark jangled the keys merrily and didn't give Krad a chance to process his decision before shoving him in and driving off. They took turns as they drove, switching off every two hours, and spent most of that time letting their tamers rest and adjust to the time zone change. As soon as they managed to pull up to the building Dark parked the car on the edge of the chain link fence and asked, "So? Can you sense him here stronger at all?"waking Krad up from what had been a nice nap. "Hmm. Stay quiet for a second." He glanced for a moment at the building. It was a sprawling concrete monster with narrow beady windows, large cameras on each black-streaked corner, and a single light grey door near one end. Krad closed his eyes and reached out as he had before, trying to ignore the thief's soft breathing and shuffling. _Honestly, why is he always so restless_? Aside from the fact they had been in the car for almost seven hours already.

His link to Aisoku wasn't tugging him in the direction of the building. Actually it was telling him to go back, ever so faintly. Back and slightly left.

"No. He isn't here."

"Damn." The phantom said softly and scratched his head. "Ah, well. At least we won't ever have to drive out to this place again." When Krad didn't respond he glanced over at him and was surprised to see the muscles in his orchid-white neck were taunt as steel. "Krad?"

"If we had flown we could have cut this time in half." Dark jerked a thumb at the window.

"Uh, blizzard conditions? We'd be lucky not to get hypothermia and die." Krad made a little impatient hissing noise.

"I am tired of dilly-dallying around this wasteland of countryside when my son is…" Dark leaned back in the seat as he turned the car around and a few strands of purple fell over his eyes.

"I'm doing the best I can, Krad. We can't go pillaging and destroying until we find him, okay? I'm… getting antsy too." He did look it- his tan hands were tightly strapped against the steering wheel and there was an almost fevered gleam in his eyes. Krad closed his eyes and whispered almost to himself, "It hurts to be away from him."

"Yeah it's called missing someone." Dark muttered as he adjusted the rearview mirror. "I know what it's called." Krad said sharper than he intended, then settled back and curled up in the direction of the window, away from Dark. "I thought the anger that comes with it would fade off." Dark chucked a little."You've never really been that kinda a person. You don't let things go easily." Krad raised an eyebrow. "And you would let this go?"

"Oh Hell no. I just don't get nearly as mad as you." The hunter looked at him for a moment and acknowledged, "Hmm. I suppose in that's one of your more agreeable points. I'm letting my tamer take over now." Dark shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Kiryu and I are bff's." The White Wings snorted. "Don't blame me if that comes to bite you." Before Dark could retort Krad had already transformed and Kiryu asked in a plainly tired voice, "You mind if I just kinda sleep? I'm not to transforming this much…" Dark turned down the radio.

"Go right ahead. Kyo's taking a nap up here as well." He tapped his temple. "I hope you find him soon." He offered as his blue eyes closed and Dark said quietly, "It'd be best for all of us, I think."

* * *

Woot! Another chappie done. Review please!


	13. Chapter 13

Aisoku, finally back in his room, climbed up onto the lame dresser-ish furniture item in his room and jiggled one of the ceiling tiles loose. It had been a day and a half since they'd done the surgery, and though his arm still ached he wanted to leave tonight. Vlad was really the only person he trusted here, and once he left Aisoku wasn't sure if he could really trust anyone working in this facility. Either they were oblivious or on Lenka's side. And even the oblivious person would tend towards Lenka's argument simply because he was a smooth talking adult- being compared to a thin straw-haired kid Aisoku wouldn't believe himself either.

He grasped the slightly damp papers and slapped them down on the dresser. If they had seen where he'd hidden them they hadn't done anything to them. He'd noticed just as he'd been drifting around between consciousnesses he'd heard the familiar dull click as the camera near the doorway of the examination room switched modes.

He sat down in the chair and winced as he tried to straighten his back. His shoulders had been growing a bit lately- no doubt to accommodate the roots of his wings which still hurt. As he sat and scribbled down the time the cameras had a single break he wondered vaguely if his back would ever feel the same. But as he reached back and felt the smooth ripple of muscle under the silver feathers he knew that once he flew with them, all this pain would be worth it. Which, coincidentally was what his plan to escape ended with. Since they were near a town all he would have to do is get far enough away that they lost contact and find somewhere to sleep. After that he could probably steal enough food, clothing and money and get a hold of a phone so his parents could come and get him. It wasn't the best of plans but he wasn't in the best of circumstances and all that really mattered was getting out from under this companies wing.

He fingered his necklace as he worked, then checked the clock. Ten minutes until the first cameras began off in sequence. Six cameras in total lining the singular hallway, then a turn left, then up the stairs and to the right, where Lenka and Inessa usually went. He figured the final door out wasn't far from there and after he got past the first six cameras he'd still have about three minutes before the cameras in his room turned back on to inform everyone of his absence. He wasn't fool enough to think that they weren't top notch heat sensing cameras that could possibly be fooled by stuffing pillows into the shape of a human being under his blanket. He glanced at the camera in the upper right corner of his room with irritation. Since he'd removed the bugs that first day they'd been replaced by larger ones with shatter-proof lenses. However, the person installing them obviously believed that Aisoku was incapable of doing any sort of damage since he hadn't bothered to screw in the stand holding it right. He'd adjusted one of them to point at the opposite corner of the room from him.

He ran over the plan again in his head and, satisfied that it had enough room for improvising in case something went wrong, rocked the chair back.

That still left one little plothole he'd noticed since he'd first come here.

Where were all the artworks?

They'd swarmed him like sharks at a feeding frenzy in Japan, and he could sense a good number of Hikari artworks here as well. So why were the holding back? The only thing he could think of is that there must be something other than the spell Krad had cast on him. He rubbed his wrists as he thought about it. There must be a barrier. But then why hadn't he sensed it? Aisoku closed his eyes for half a second and opened them again. If he didn't sense it, either it was being cloaked or it was so weak that he wouldn't have any problems getting though it. He folded his wings the way Dark told him to so that they were neatly underneath his skin.

He didn't want them getting in the way tonight. He checked the clock again, steadied his breathing.

One minute. He fingered the two cards he'd confiscated from Lenka as he'd been drifting awake from surgery and winced as his arm twanged with pain. The scientist had been turned away from him and the poor little thief just couldn't resist. Thirty seconds. He retrieved a jar hidden in one of his desk drawers and headed over to the door, making sure to linger in the area the right camera didn't cover. He unscrewed the lid but kept it pressed down on top to keep the rat he'd captured two hours ago inside.

_I'm probably gonna get rabies from this_… He thought morbidly.

Ten seconds. He pressed a shoulder gently against the door and used the first card, a standard-looking black and white one, to jiggle the lock the rest of the way open. Click. He opened the jar then shut it and waited until he heard the metallic chime of the first camera. Placing the jar flat he jiggled it a bit and watched as the light brown rat skittered out, using his foot to direct the rodent down the hallway and in front of the motion detectors.

Then he sucked in a lungful of air, closed his eyes, and just as the first alarms from the motion detectors set off his small frame wavered and dissolved into the darkness of the hallway. _Now I guess I'll see how long I can hold this._ He thought and glanced down at his body to make sure it wasn't visible. As he waited he took a miniature flashlight from his jeans and shone it down the hallway, revealing an intricate web of red lasers. He waited. _If they're going to send men down here to investigate they'll have to shut down the laser grid on this half, at least._ Sure enough a few seconds later the grid flickered off. The two thugs who had hauled him in before came thundering down the hall and Aisoku had to flatten himself against the wall to avoid being crushed. The one on the left looked inside Aisoku's room and spoke in rapid Russian to the other, who nodded and indicated down the hallway. He was so close Aisoku could see the sweat on his forehead and smell his breath. As the other turned the one with a slighter build turned and stared at Aisoku for a second, his dark brows furrowed. Aisoku didn't even breathe.

He reached out, his fingers inches away from Aisoku's nose and after a half second, drew back with a little snort. His footsteps landed heavy on cement as he ran to catch up to his coworker and Aisoku dashed the other direction, timing it perfectly to the chimes of the cameras. Once he got past all six of them he slid the first card through the security card reader. It flashed green and he was up the stairs, circling so fast he began to get dizzy. The second door out the stairwell had a card reader too. He fumbled to read the letters on the second card in the dark but decided to try it anyway.

It whirred for a moment, then stated in what felt like a ridiculously loud voice "Handprint identification please." _Damn._

He ran a hand through his hair and retrieved a hairclip, jamming it into the tiny crack between the face and back of the machine. Once he'd pried it open enough to see the wiring he rerouted it to replay the last handprint and after a few muttered curse words it flashed green. Once he came in the room it was clear why it had been a pain to get in here- there was lab equipment and computers everywhere, a row of low windows on the right-hand side and… as he made his way across the room to the nearest he noticed a long sheet draped over and under all of this organized chaos. 'Subject A DNA sequence' was printed along the top and despite his urgent need to vacate the building he couldn't help but pause to take a closer look. _Pretty sure that's me ._It was sheets of paper taped together top-to-bottom, filled with the letters G,A,T and C and always fluctuating in order.

In fact it looked mind-numbingly dull except for the last two pages which were highlighted in pink and written on all over in pen, pencil. Basically they were scribbles of confusion like 'subject has a full 2% DNA that doesn't match any human we've compared to…' 'subject's DNA resembles certain protein patterns of birds but is not an exact match to any known species on record.' His body froze up and his hand went automatically to the necklace underneath his shirt where the two feathers lay smooth and warm against his skin.

_Not an exact match to any species on record._

It was official, then. Right there in black and white. Footsteps pounding up the stairs snapped him back into the present.

He hopped onto the row of desks and opened one of the windows with his elbow, going out feet-first and having to wiggle a little to get his shoulders out of the frame. As he squeezed he nicked his left cheek on the edge and hot red dribbled in a single line down the side of his face. He hit the snow running and almost stumbled as he fumbled with the thick jacket in an attempt to let his wings loose. _Oh screw it. _He pulled the fabric in tight and pushed with his wings until the fabric broke and his wings burst out, ruffling immediately from the cold. Back inside the building Lenka watched as his two officers and Inessa swarmed around the open window. "What are you doing?" She demanded incredulously. "Your letting him get away?" He detected the hint of hope in her voice an almost grimaced- really, how could he keep her by his side unless she was completely loyal? "No. I only want to see if his wings are fully grown. You will see in a moment why escape is impossible for him."

Aisoku wasn't really sure what he was doing- but as he was flapping and running something strange started happening. It was getting harder for his feet to touch the ground- he was running nearly on his tiptoes now… He brought in the white-and-black striped tips just enough to get his feet fully on the ground and pushed off. Everything slowed down- the shouting behind him, the sting of the cut on his face, even the weight of his boots seemed to disappear as his wings rowed down, furiously trying to break the hold gravity had bound him to his whole life. Then it sped up. He was up and over the chain-link fence and the air stung with cold.

His heart dropped into his stomach and wasn't returning to his chest anytime soon and the frozen ground sped by underneath him.

The base of his neck tingled as he became aware of the magic barrier surrounding the place and he realized he was a few seconds away from flying right through it. If he didn't clear it he'd end up getting toasted and drop like a rock. For some reason, the thought that he'd gotten this far just to be stopped by something most people couldn't even see really pissed him off. He didn't want to let his magic loose for fear of passing out but it looked like he didn't have a choice.

He shot an arm out in front of him with a hissed, "Get out of my way!" and suddenly his magic darted out of his palm in a streak of blue fire. It spread like a web across the interior of the barrier and melted a hole just big enough for Aisoku to fit through. Aisoku folded his wings and snapped them open once he was across with a dull feeling of awe. That spread into full out happiness as he realized he was going to get away. Away from this place and that grey-eyed man and everyone that had been willingly or not holding him hostage.

_I'm free. I'm-_

* * *

"Oh, that definitely stopped him." Inessa said sarcastically as Aisoku obviously blasted through whatever had been there that she couldn't quite see. Lenka frowned at her sarcasm. "Hm. Interesting. That's a Hikari level barrier." He fished around in his jacket and brought out what looked like a small metal remote with about six different buttons and a thin black antenna. "Well, this will."

"What is that?"

His finger hovered over the button for a half second as he sighed and lied humanely, "You will see. I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this." before pressing the first button. And then the second and third.

* * *

Red.

That was the first thing Aisoku's brain processed as the pain swept over him, crushing and twisting him in its iron hands.

His wings snapped up next to either side of his body and he fell, the terror of falling nothing compared to the hell going on inside his head.

fingers scratched and scrabbled across the thick, slick metal surface that could be the only source for the agony and as he hit the ground black bloomed in his vision to join the red. Vaugely he was aware that he was screaming. His legs and knees were trembling and he felt one of them slide down flat but he couldn't feel the cold ground. He could hear his wings slapping on either side of him in the snow like dying fish, throwing the white powder both away and over him in thin bursts.

Still his fingers couldn't find purchase on the damn metal and he was aware he was bleeding from the neck now too from his own efforts.

The blood was a tiny speck of warmth through the chaos in his skull.

He wanted to die- wanted everything to end if it would stop the pain.

_Oh god! Oh god!_

* * *

Krad sat up from a dead sleep. His body shook, his hand at his neck and the tendons in his neck taunt from holding down a scream that belonged to his son. His yellow eyes were wide and the top and bottom of his pupils slit from fear.

* * *

"LENKA!" The way he looked at her then, slate grey, without the slightest trace of remorse, only irritation- instantly took out the will in her to scream. Screaming didn't get him to stop. But words would. "You don't want your 'subject' to get damaged do you?"

"I suppose not." He said and drew secret delight from her struggle. If he didn't have her family's health in the palm of his hand no doubt she would have assaulted him to get the device off. What a stupid, simple-hearted woman. But then that was the reason he'd hired her in the first place. Along with everyone else. He clicked the three buttons off and watched the boys struggling form relax, the wondrous wings stiffening before falling and spreading flat in relief. "There." He nudged one of the two men who also worked for him, slightly repulsed by his odor.

His voice came out in plain Russian, "You two go and fetch him."

They stared at him for a moment too with the same dumb animal look Lenka often attributed to cows.

"I said go." He repeated with his voice low and velvet and laced with animosity. They both moved as a unit to the nearest door and Lenka gave a small irritated snort. There was no need to raise his voice when a thinly-veiled threat within words could get the job done just as well.

* * *

Aisoku couldn't hear anything but a loud ringing in his ears.

His body was trembling and though he'd tried to stiffen his muscles to stop it that had actually made it worse. All the colors seemed brighter, painfully so.

His fingers were sticky with his own blood and now he realized what he'd been feeling along his neck had actually started from a cut on the back of his head.

He wondered if he had a concussion. Seemed likely. He struggled to stand up and his legs betrayed him by wobbling precariously and dropping him halfway on the ground._ Get up. Get up._ He told himself. _God dammit you've already made it most of the way out. _

He could hear two of them behind him. He got up and started walking, cursing the landscape for its potholes and divets that made him look even weaker.

If he could just get back in the air- his fingers began the loop around his neck again- or better yet if he could find a way to get this off then… then maybe…

His legs officially gave him the finger and dumped him out onto the frozen ground hard.

_Be that way. _He thought angrily. The snow wasn't soft here at all. It was so cold it burned the side of his face, his body. He curled one wing underneath him to keep out the cold and the other above so he wouldn't have to see those stupid men catch up to him and haul him back to the facility. Being surrounded in a cocoon of feathers at least gave him a little comfort. His hand slid inside his jacket, gripped around the necklace under his shirt. _I'm sorry… dad… _And thought he may have felt a bit of that warm yellow color humming around his body. That was when he lost consciousness.

* * *

Krad let a breath out, brought another in to take its place. He wondered if Aisoku had heard his reply. He was still alive. That had been too close. He scooted over to the other side of the bed and leaned out just enough to be able to reach Dark with a foot. Then he paused as he heard the thief muttering,

"Well you know I like it like that baby…" and blushed, kicking him in the butt sharply.

"Awaken, pervert. We have to leave. Now." Purple eyes flickered with magic angrily. "Nn-gh, Krad, its three in the-"

"And Aisoku just got shocked by a very powerful _dog collar." _

Dark blinked twice, then stretched and slid out of bed with a soft, "Well I guess we'd better get going then huh." He yawned and Krad noticed his canines were a tad longer than usual. He must have been more affected by the news than he let on.  
"Indeed." Ten minutes later they piled into the rental car and drove off. Dark pulled in to a gas station and went into the minuscule store as Krad waited in the back, his yellow eyes thoroughly creeping out the man taking their check. Dark came back a minute later with a large coffee and a croissant, which he plopped into the listless Krad's lap. "Eh?" The blonde raised an eyebrow. "I don't want this."

Dark dropped his coffee into the cup holder and stated, "Yeah well you didn't want coffee either. Your gonna need something in your stomach."

Krad growled a bit but accepted the offer and gnawed thoughtfully on a corner of the flaky item. "How long is it going to take us to get there?" He asked when they were back on the highway. "About seven hours." Krad stifled a groan and directed his gaze out the window, ignoring the annoying music Dark had turned on.

"Don't give me that look." The thief said and took a sip of his hot beverage. "If we're lucky we'll make it six. There isn't much traffic at three thirty in the morning, though I can't imagine why." Krad adjusted his coat and said dryly. "Me neither." Dark wrinkled his nose. "Well aren't you a bundle of joy this morning."

"I'm not always?" Krad smirked but before the phantom could get around the fact that Krad had just thrown back what he was dishing out, the blonde said, "I'm going to take a not to be too friendly with Kiryu." Dark's hands flexed on the wheel. "Well you do need your beauty sleep."

The blonde brushed the comment aside, pulled the hood over his head and asked without looking at him, "Dark- do you think he will be okay?"

The sentence hung in the air for a moment.

Dark glanced at Krad, the tight line of his lip and his burning yellow eyes before he answered, "He'd damn well better be."

He waited until the blonde had transformed before giving the Hikari a friendly poke in the shoulder, "Oi. You want some coffee?" Kiryu blinked sleepily for a moment, his blue eyes muddled, before taking the cup and replying. "Do you even need to ask." He took three good mouthfuls and wiped a coffee mustache off his top lip. "Final stretch huh?"

"Final stretch."

He let loose a nervous little sigh. "I'm...kind of anxious about this." Dark gave him the longest look safe driving would allow and his purple eyes went soft like velvet. He reached over with one arm and ruffled the boy's thick brown hair. "It's just the coffee." Kiryu smiled a little before looking down at the beverage and silver steam drifted up past his face, swirling before disappearing somewhere around his hairline. "Yeah. I guess so."


	14. Chapter 14

Aisoku was having a dream. He knew it was a dream but found himself scared all the same. He was falling in this giant chasm and, as he neared the bottom, an enormous creature opened its mouth to capture his body whole, its white pupils gleaming against feverish blue. He jerked his head up with a start and winced as it smacked against the head of a chair. "I would say good morning, but I suppose it isn't for you."

Aisoku didn't bother looking up- he could tell by the voice just who was talking. He flexed his arms and realized that he was bound to the chair with leather strips. As he moved there was a disgusting flaky feeling around his neck and head and he noted that no one had taken the time to wash the blood off him.

He yanked at the straps, glared at Lenka and his lip lifted to show a canine that felt unusually long.

"Oho." He said quietly and leaned back in his own chair with his arms crossed, apparently unthreatened.

"I suppose you've got a little bit of your parent's fire in you after all."

Inessa cleared her throat and the grey-eyed man paused before asking in Russian, "What is it?" To his irritation she said in Japanese, "Sir. With all due respect. When the White and Black Wings have found out what you've done to him, added to the kidnapping…" He tapped his fingers.

"I was aware of the repercussions before, Inessa. I must get as much done as possible until they arrive."

He switched back to Japanese. "Actually I had every intention of letting you go boy, as long as the DNA in your marrow was able to be replicated. Imagine my surprise when I added a sample of your DNA to a normal human's blood. Would you like to know what happened?" Aisoku licked his dry lips and folded his wings closer to his back. "My name is _Aisoku_." They had been shoved in the empty space between the headrest and seat and the metal was digging at the feathery limbs. Actually, now that he thought about it he kind of didn't want to know. He'd been having a fairly good time being normal, or as close to normal as a bird-kid could get. He didn't bother saying anything though because he knew Lenka was going to tell him anyway. Instead he started working on the cuffs.

"I wouldn't bother." Lenka murmured smugly.

"I had my two assistants and Vlad remove every hairpin and lock picker they could from your person. It panned out to be quite a pile." Sure enough as he shuffled around he noticed the absence of all his usual gear. He looked around until his eyes settled on Vlad in one corner and gave him a pleading look. Lenka watched the little exchange for a moment. Vlad scratched the side of his jaw idly.

Lenka's eyes flicked away and Vlad tapped his cheek once before letting it fall to his side.

_My mouth? _He ran his tongue along his teeth and sure enough it bumped across a warm hairpin stuck low in his lip. _Oh._ It tasted nasty but he didn't care and nodded his thanks. "Well I suppose I'll tell you anyway. It disintegrated. Or actually, it attacked the regular human DNA and then itself." He put a hand on his chin.

"The ultimate idea is to give other people your abilities, so to solve that problem I'm going to need funding, and for funding I'm going to need as much footage of you using your powers as possible." Aisoku leaned down and pretended to scratch his nose as he moved the hairpin from his mouth to his hand. He didn't feel like talking with Lenka.

He could talk to himself all day for all he cared. With one jiggle his right hand was free. He kept it tight to his wrist and flicked the hairpin across his lap, just managing to catch the tip with his left hand. Lenka leaned forward and caught Aisoku's chin with his hand and his hot breath fanned across Aisoku's face. There was a glint around his white neck and Aisoku realized the controls to the collar rested between the man's collarbones.

"Do you think you can manage that, little thief? Before they come to get you- _if _they do."

The blonde yanked his head back and simultaneously broke free of the strap on his other wrist. Before the guards behind him could react he leapt out of the chair, the heel of his boot on the scientist's chest, and broke the thin cord holding the controls from Lenka's neck. He threw it to the right and opened his palm and the device was bathed in white-hot flames. It turned dark red, then light, going from orange to yellow and as it hit the ground there was a horrible hissing and a cloud of smoke. As he felt the thick arms of Lenka's two guards wrap around him he snarled,

"Maybe you should remember that I am my father's son, and once I get this-"

He indicated the collar, "Off, I will-"

Lenka, who had gotten to his feet, walked across the room and hissed, "You'll what, little hunter?" He snorted disdainfully.

"You aren't the killing type."

He glanced across at the smoldering controls and sneered in Aisoku's ear, "Good thing I made a spare."

As the two guards dragged him back in what he assumed was the direction of his room Aisoku said quietly, "They will come and you will get what you deserve."

He heard Lenkas soft dry laugh and the barked order, "Give him five hours. Then I want him back in here with me." as the darkness of the hall consumed him.

* * *

_I should like to borrow your body now._

Kiryu's brow wrinkled. _What? But I've only been awake for-_

_That doesn't matter. We're getting close and I am getting… antsy. _

Kiryu sat up a little in the chair and muttered, _it matters to me. Everything- my body hurts alright? _He rubbed his wrists. _Forgive me for not being overly-concerned with your welfare when my son is being detained and possibly …_He didn't need to finish the rest of the sentence as Kiryu felt a rush of anger from his other half.

_Besides that, you are a Hikari. Satoshi's son. You should be no stranger to pain. _He detected what was possibly a hint of regret in Krad's voice.

For a moment he considered not addressing it at all but found himself saying quietly; _Well you don't have to… hurt us. _Krad got so quiet it felt like his presence had completely disappeared. Dark had noticed the internal conversation going on between the two of them and was keeping an eye out. After a few seconds Kiryu began to get worried and asked,

_…Krad? _

He came roaring to the forefront of his mind with such force he lurched forward in the seat and his seatbelt locked.

_What would __**you**__ know of it you ignorant little pawn?_

He felt the transformation begin and tried to repress it. "Dark- p-pull over…" He'd never felt pain this intense before- he could barely speak and hardly hear anything but Krad's thundering voice. Dark's eyes widened and he pulled over to the side of the road, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Kiryu?"

_**What's wrong with him? **_Kyo asked in Dark's mind and he replied hastily, _**I think… **_

Kiryu couldn't feel it over Krad's voice.

_What do you know of anything? Your ignorance of your family's sins continues to astound me. _Krad shoved inside his mind and Kiryu staggered with his hand clenching his chest.

…_** He's forcing him to transform. **_He pulled open the door and let himself out into the snow, his legs dropping him to his knees. As he did so Dark turned off the engine and went around the hood. _**Shit. Kyo, I'm sorry but I really don't want you to see this.**_ With a small portion of his magic he pushed his tamer into unconsciousness and knelt down in the snow, holding the boy's shuddering form. "Kiryu! Oh god damn it…" His blue eyes were bloodshot.

_Krad! Stop it please! I- I'm sorry! _The White Wings was too far gone, lost in his own memories. All he wanted to hear were the sounds of a Hikari in pain.

_Let me out. Let me out let me out- _Kiryu shuddered forward, his hands in Dark's shirt like a desperate child and looked up into his purple eyes helplessly, red leaking from the corner of his eyes. "Make him stop…!" Dark was horrified- he couldn't reverse a transformation halfway through, much as he wanted was actually more dangerous for the tamer "I-" Kiryu gave little choked sound and pulled the thief close just as Krad screamed inside his head,

_let._

_me._

_out._

_**NOW!**_

Kiryu couldn't help but scream. The phantom's head was over Kiryu's shoulder and he was given an up-close look at the undulating skin on his back, stretching, swelling and finally breaking; the new wing streaked blood across his cheek as it escaped from the prison of Kiryu's flesh. The boys screaming reached its peak and died in his throat as the blonde took over.

The other wing bloomed soon after and they flapped once lazily and blood dotted the snow like fresh raspberries on a white tablecloth. Dark felt Kiryu's shoulders widening and his hair tumbling past his shoulders, changing from a soft brown to a brilliant golden. The thief pushed the White Wings into the car with a fist, his temper barely contained.

His hand was shaking with the desire to beat the blonde into a pulp for what he'd just done.

"What the fuck was **that**?" Krad stared out at him from between his curtain of hair impassively, the yellow of his eyes accented with two vertical streaks of blood running out each corner. He looked paler than usual, if that was at all possible, and as he spoke Dark could see dark pink staining on his teeth. Krad snorted and his lip lifted distastefully. Strangely enough, the boy's screams hadn't stopped the darker memories of his past from bubbling up like a fountain of crude oil.

"What I do with my tamers is none of your concern."

Dark's grip on Krad's shoulder tightened. "Actually yes it is when you- "

Krad interrupted him and spat, "If they had wanted me to cut them slack their ancestors wouldn't have done as they did."Dark's wiped Kiryu's blood off his cheek with a sarcastic laugh. "So you're punishing him for something he didn't do, and something he doesn't even know about yet. How reasonable." The blonde stood and pushed Dark's hand off.

"What Satoshi does or does not choose to tell to his son is his own folly!" Dark pinned him against the side of the car and felt his own wings itching to be free from his heightened emotions. That was the last thing he needed right now.

"So it's 'not my concern' when you're forcing the Hikari so much past his limits he's bleeding out of his eyes."

Krad wrenched his shoulders out of the thief's grip."No its not. So keep your hands off me." Krad tried to move past the thief but he blocked his path. "You are so selfish don't you realize you needed that strength for later- for what we came here for?"Krad's eyes lit up in yellow fury and his hair lifted slightly even though there was no wind."Don't preach to me, thief. My patience of your barking is growing thin." Dark cracked his knuckles.

"And my patience of your torture is too. Get in the car."

The blonde raised an arm, his open palm at the level of Dark's ribs and it began to glow.

"No. You of all people should know I don't respond well to orders." He closed his fist and turned to face the other way. "Stay out of my way." Dark circled around him."What? God dammit Krad, we don't have time for this!"

"As if it's really your place to be telling me that."

Krad paused for a moment and his white wings twitched and ruffled as his anger heightened.

"You certainly always have enough time for those_ pathetic_ Niwa humans!" then turned on his heel, opened his fist and bathed the thief in electricity- Dark barely had time to dodge the attack. He held his singed bicep in surprise and anger, then dodged again as another ball was hurled at him."Gh- damn." The pain was waking Kyo up and he didn't want to use magic on him unless he had to. Luckily where they had parked was in the middle of a huge forest of larch trees and the thief immediately took cover in them, weaving until he was sure that for the moment he wasn't going to be assaulted. Krad wasn't exactly subtle as his wings scraped and bumped against tree trunks and the snow.

Dark started chanting a spell under his breath and pulled up his collar- it was so cold his lips felt like they were coated in thin ice. As he did he heard Krad let out a hiss of air between his teeth and banish his wings just a few trees away from him and switched to thought. .._**Obscurum servo mihi…ignotus.**_ (darkness protect me…obscure) The black-purple magic curled out of his hand and spilled onto the ground between the two halves, growing and stretching like vines.

As soon as it touched the cold ground it turned black. Krad couldn't see it and magic in hand, stepped directly onto one of the main branches. Dark felt the weight of his counterpart's magic in range and muttered, "…Evinxi."(bind) and the branch underneath Krad's foot shot up and twisted around his foot.

It yanked him to the ground before he could focus his magic enough to blast it from his ankle, "Agh!" and wrapped around his other ankle, his wrists and torso. The blonde struggled against it as it bound his hands face-down.

Dark emerged from behind the dull yellow leaves of the larch and his eyes glowed like purple flames as he finished the spell with a dry, "Adstringo."(tighten) Krad panted and clenched his jaw as the vines covered him further, snaking across his neck and up his body until he was bound quite tightly against the frozen dirt. "What is this spell?" White wings hissed and his arms seemed to glow golden from the inside as the magic built up in his human body. The magic in Dark's eyes flickered out and he said with a hint of disgust, "Something I borrowed from my 'other' self-not you."

He heard the buzz of crickets. "Are you coming back with me now?"

The cat-yellow in Krad's eyes indicated he intended to do no such thing. "Why should I. You never followed me."

This piqued his curiosity and despite himself Dark inched closer to the blonde until he was standing only a foot away.

"Per usual I have no idea what you're talking about."

Krad lifted a lip, baring a single canine. "All those years and not once did you attempt to stop them. If you were so _**concerned**_ with how the Hikari's treated me-" His wings suddenly reappeared, glowing so bright they almost seemed to be on fire.

The fire began burning away at the vines and as Dark took a step back the limbs snapped open and Krad shouted,

"-Then why didn't you ever _**help**_ me!"

Dark coughed, then choked and screamed before biting it back and winced again as Kyo's scream ripped across his mind.

His feet scrabbled for purchase on the hard slippery tree trunk he's been nailed to by a feather turned metal, deeply embedded in his right shoulder. Krad was upon him, balancing on two more metallic feathers he'd placed conveniently out of the phantom's reach. He grabbed the sliver of cold metal and twisted, earning another rich howl from the thief before he managed to clench his jaws together. He could feel the hot pain-induced sweat coating the inside of his ruined jacket. **_Dark! _**Kyo cried out and the phantom somehow found enough of his voice to snarl "... Our tamers-"

Krad sneered "Again with them. For once, I'd like for you to only pay attention to _me_." and as swiftly as he'd driven the spear in, he yanked it out, flipped Dark onto his belly and drove it back into the same shoulder. He made sure not to hit anything vital- he wanted Dark to stay awake for the entirety of this little lesson. Dark's boots kept sliding on the frozen bark and Krad plucked another one of his primaries and ran his hand delicately across its surface, turning the feather into solid iron before driving it through the leather sole of Dark's boots.

He winced again before realizing the spear hadn't actually gone through his foot; it had only pinned his boot to the tree to keep him from dangling by that one shoulder. It was bleeding quite badly and after Krad twisted it the injury had changed from feeble trickling into thick bloody gravy. It stung like a shot wound and was blurring his periphery vision. He threw his good arm over the iron spear to take some of the pressure off his right shoulder."You have... my attention, ...bastard." Dark panted, running through the usual list of spells in his head to find one that could get him out of here quick. "Good." Krad tapped his fingers against the iron feather pinning his other half to the tree and each vibration rattled his shoulder blade horribly.

"I'll show you a particular favorite of the second Hikari." Before Dark had finished the last part of a impressive spell Krad laid his hand between spread shoulders and whispered icily, "Očevidan krilo."(manifest wings)

"Augh-!" The thief suddenly felt enormous crushing pressure on his back and as his spine arched to relieve it his eyes widened as he realized what was happening. Somehow Krad was forcing his wings out. He rattled out a countercurse in his mind and relaxed as the pressure lessoned.

"Onda."(now) The blonde snarled and the hand lying against the phantom's back made a fist, then made a pulling motion- to his horror he felt the hidden wings follow, slowly at first then faster and Kiryu's soft skin tore easily as paper. His wings flapped once before coming back under his control and he slapped them up to the side of the tree, using the four-inch dewclaws hidden in the top of both curved limbs to relieve some of the pain. They were coated from root to primaries in his tamer's blood.

"Aaaaahh-g-god dammit you son of a bitch!" Dark let go of his grip on the iron feather long enough to put an arm under his chest and send a bolt of purple-black fire at the angel. He heard a sizzle but didn't bother to check if it had made impact. As he'd shifted the feather nailing him to the tree took on more of his weight and dug into the wound upward, and black spots had appeared in his vision.

"haa... ahh..." He moved his arm back over the feather and adjusted to the position he was in before. His vision slowly cleared. Just in time to see golden hair spilling over his shoulder, slighty burned, and see the outline of his cursed other half in his periphery vision.

"That certainly was close." He heard a electric crackle as Krad produced another spear, and shuddered as he nailed the object into the bark less than a half-inch from his right ribs. He heard it creak as it took on the weight of the White Wings and let out an embarrasing yelp as Krad roughly grabbed hold of the roots of both his wings, his nails digging in to the new raw skin and feathers. He felt Krad place his knee high up on the thief's back and adjust his hands so his thumbs were facing in... and he realized just what he was planning to do.

**_Oh no. _**Weakly in the back of Dark's mind Kyo asked what Krad was going to do but instead of answering he summoned up enough of his energy to put Kyo into a sleep only Dark's magic could bring him out of. **_Sorry._**

"Oh." Krad suddenly seemed to have forgotten something and moved his hands to Dark's right wing.

"I almost forgot he liked it one at a-"

"Krad... Aisoku-"

He felt the blonde flinch and tighten his grip so much he began to lose circulation in his wing. "Silence! It's your fault he's in this mess in the first place! If we had just stayed with him and raised him instead of giving him to a group of useless humans..." His voice trickled down from its hysterical peak and ended in an almost defeated tone, "None of this would have happened."

"Our tamer's bodies would have wasted away by now." The thief muttered. "We could have never raised him. It was impossible." Krad's grip on his wing was so tight he could feel the cartilage straining. "Shut up. Just..." Dark wrenched his head around just enough so Krad could see a glittering purple eye.

"You do know no amount of shit you do to me, the Niwa's, or every Hikari descendant hereafter will be able to sate your thirst for revenge on the first seven...don't you...?"

The blonde shuddered and Dark watched his pupils shrink and stretch until they were nothing but vertical black needles embedded in yellow fire. With a cry of rage Krad dug his knee into the thief's back and then threw all of his weight back. The wing didn't come off cleanly.

It peeled away- first the skin and feathers,

then the long muscles, snapping like oiled wires and finally the crunch of hollow cartilage and a disgusting sucking sound, like pulling a boot out of thick mud.

And then it fell.

Dark couldn't remember a time when he'd screamed so much. So loud it hurt his own ears, so long every time he took a new breath in it was merely to fuel the next cry. With his eyes pinched shut and his forehead pressed against the cold bark he found the strength for a single, final attack. As Krad balanced perfectly on the iron spears he thought he heard a gravelly word- though he wasn't quite sure what it was. His curiosity got the better of him and against his own judgement he leaned down next the the irritatingly still form of his other half and chirped,

"What? I didn't quite catch that."

"'abyssus pas.'"The thief repeated, the wine color swirling in his eyes. From below the tree, something was making noise, a kind of flapping and thudding. Krad glanced down at it and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. It was the wing, he was sure. He glared back up at the phantom. "What did you-"

The thief gave a humorless breathy laugh and answered, "Heh... it means 'hellhound'."

_**Couldn't have pulled it off without you.**_ Dark thought sarcastically. That particular attack could only be used if one of his 'true' wings had been forcibly removed against his will. He'd actually never used it before and wasn't sure what kind of creature would manifest.

Underneath the tree, everything went silent. Krad froze on his perch and the wind tugged at his loose hair. The sound of large scrabbling nails jerked him out of stillness and he summoned his pearly wings, their long arches flaring up in fear as the nails came closer. Their was another long pause in sound and the feathers on Krad's wings smoothed as he entertained the idea that the thing had simply given up climbing the enormous tree.

" Graaaaaa-" It exploded out of the darkness below them and snapped up the white angel around his waist, his slavering jaws accomodating his slim body easily. As it dug its claws back into the tree Dark was able to get a better look at it- it appeared to be made out of either black fire or mist, the limbs and tail slightly transparent. Its jaws were lined in loose black lips and filled with yellowed teeth. Saliva drew lines down its thick black pelt and its eyes were an uncomfortably neon mix of purple and red. On its back was Dark's old discarded wing as well as another newly-formed one.

The hound adjusted its grip on Krad and tilted its head as Dark ordered, **_Don't kill him._** It huffed and the inside of its nostrils glowed with red fire. _**Please. **_It launched itself back towards the ground and Dark waited for a few minutes, his mind toying with the idea of shutting down completely, before calling it back with **_Come get me. _**He didn't remember riding the hound back down but clambered off of it when he came to just the same, using its side for balance before getting on his hands and knees to confront Krad. The White Wings was pinned with a spell Dark neither recognized or cared to. All he knew was that the blonde wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

As he approached Krad opened one eye a slit but said nothing. Their were bite marks encompassing his entire waist but none were as severe as the wound in Dark's shoulder and back. He placed a hand across the blonde's white forehead and muttered angrily, "So you don't remember? well let me...nng..." He winced and held his shoulder before placing the now-bloodied palm back onto Krad's head. "...Refresh your memory."

Krad threw his head back but it was too late. The damn thief was flooding into his memories, going back to the ones Krad kept closest to his being- the first seven, each 'tamer' more horrible than the last. The first one liked fire. Specifically he liked trapping Krad in an artwork that for all purposes kept him in a perpetual state of burning. Not charred, but definetely third degree. He remembered being in there for the longest he'd ever been-three days, when out of the blue the first one, Okibi(fire) had suddenly yanked him out of the painting.

He fell onto the floor whole and laid there, eyes closed, what was left of wings tight against his body. Okibi had stared at him for a moment before whispering, "Pathetic." and leaving him there, tamerless and burned beyond recognition of anything beautiful. His magic had been ground down to almost nothing and he lingered on the border of death, listening to one voice in particular. Dark's memory collided with his and showed him the phantom's perspective of Krad's body when he'd found him. The phantom had spoken soft words, healed him, and destroyed the Hikari painting beyond repair._** That was me. **_Krad remembered waking up beneath the ruined painting and wondering what had happened. _...Lies._

**_Yeah? _**Dark showed him a memory of the third Hikari, who trapped Krad within a mirror of hallucinations. All the blanks in Krad's memory were filled by Dark' phantom thief had been there too, coming to his aid and disappearing before the Hikari's caught a whiff of him.

Her was also at the fourth, who preferred water torture.

And the the sixth and the seventh, who was the worst of them all- Krad jerked his head and for a moment their connection broke but Dark's slapped his hand firm against his forehead once more._ Stop. Stop. I will kill you for this._

_**I won't. Otherwise you'll never believe me will you Krad?**_

Krad threw his head once more in an attempt to get the thief out of his mind. **_Show me._** It was useless-he was back and with a shove of magic he forced Krad to reveal the one memory he least wanted the thief to see.

* * *

_He's been in the tower for so long he'd forgotten what it felt like to be within the body of a tamer. His wings were fully stretched and almost encompassed the entirety of the round room, tiny as it was. Their was one extremely narrow window, barely more significant than a slit and occoasionally cold air or snow would dust that side of the room. _

_And a door, but that hardly mattered as it was so laced with barriers he could feel their magic from here, crawling along his skin. It was the same magic that laced through the five fist-sized screws embedded in each of his wings. Since he was not human he did not need to eat, sleep or engage in any other activities they required. Unfourtunately his tamer had seen to it that he felt pain, hunger and the need for sleep as intensely as any other human via the wings in his back-which he'd made real specifially for this punishment. _

_Krad had forgotten what he was being punished for-but then, he'd forgotten a lot of things. He cracked an eye open and glanced out at the two end screws near the very tips of his wings. They had long ago stopped bleeding and now were nothing but metal embedde__d in bone._

_The one's nearest to him were in the worst condition- nearly every wound was infected and a few of them were so bad long black strips of his flesh had fallen off and onto the wall, staining the stone greenish-purple. Also, their were maggots. They were itchy and if he looked close enough he could see them writhing around, patiently devouring all the dead flesh. At least that kept gangreen from settling in. He closed his eye. Now, he'd been trying to remember something- he only had a few minutes before the screws sank in again- what was it?_

_Something about his other half. Dark. _

_He hadn't seen him since they were first 'born'. Surely... He had heard the blonde's screams through their connection, his suffering. But he wasn't sure. **...Dark? If you're there... **It was the thing he least wanted to do in the world, asking for help. _

_But a few more days in this tower and he would surely lose whatever sanity he posessed. **... help me. **_

_Although... Krad certainly had never helped him with anything. Why should he come? They didn't owe each other anything, aside from being from the same artwork. Dark didn't owe him anything at all. Was that phantom thief really the only one he had as backup, outside the Hikari's?_

_How pathetic. At least he'd given this Hikari quite a fight before being screwed into the foundation of the tower. Suddenly he felt the magic buzzing around him and cursed softly. It was no use tensing up- that usually only made it worse. One by one they twisted, rotating stained white feathers, skin and muscle. Krad screamed and found that after a while it had turned into a choking crying session, complete with tears. They dripped off the end of his nose and the sides of his face and he could taste their disgusting saltiness on the corners of his lips. _

**_I will kill them for this. _**

_The two nearest to his back began to rotate and out spilled fresh blood, bright red and beautiful._

**_I will kill their children, and their children's children. Slowly, as I have suffered._**

**_On through all eternity. _**

_His tears dried. The night deepened and the light in the room was reduced to almost nothing. He could make out the outlines of his wings and the glow of magic but that was all. **Obviously the Hikari must have put some kind of sound-blocking barrier around the tower too otherwise people would begin to wonder why it sounds like a pig being slaughtered up here. **_

_Dark wasn't coming. He didn't know why that fact hurt him so much. The patches of feathers still intact ruffled at a sudden cold breeze drifting across the room. He felt naseous and hoped that it would get so bad he would pass out- a tiny respite from this. One of the screws rotated a tiny fraction, seeming to sense his oncoming unconsiousness and he swore again, louder. Somehow it made him feel better. The breeze was fiddling with the roots of his wings and from somewhere he thought he heard,_

Goodness, you kiss your mother with that mouth?

_Krad opened one eye again and noticed the figure of a man. A shadow man- working on the screws nearest to him. He sighed and closed his eye.** I've done it. I've finally gone utterly insane. Oh well.** At least now he'd have someone to talk to. For an illusion it was a pretty good one. He could almost feel the warmth in each finger and from his breath and soft wine-colored hair brushed between his feathers as the shadow-man worked. He wondered if it might be some kind of demon._

_**For your information demon, I don't even have a mother.** The demon muttered something under his breath and all the magic in the room was neutralized, then Krad felt a gentle tugging, searing feeling as one of the screws was carefully removed. _

I know that, I was just jerking your chain.

_Then in the empty mutilated hole the screw had left he felt hot tingling and opened his other eye to observe purplish-black ribbons sewing it together, muscles first, then wiggling outwards and finally somehow, coaxing new downy feathers out of the skin. **Have you come to take me to hell? **Krad inquired, curious as to why the devil would send some lower demon who apparently had a sense of humor. The demon didn't answer for a moment and moved down the row of screws, removing and healing. His magic purged the maggots completely. Then he moved to the other wing and once every single bloody, feather-encrusted screw was removed from Krad the demon helped him to the ground. He was also strong, Krad noticed, or perhaps it was simply that he was so much weaker that it seemed so. His wings hummed from the healing magic and he slowly folded them against his back. _

_The stone was blissfully cool against his body, still hot from fever and pain and he curled up. **If you'll just let me rest for a single moment... I will go without a fight.**_

_**Please. **The demon crouched down beside him and for the first time he saw its eyes-they were the color of african violet petals. Bright, velvet. Certainly not what he expected from a demon. _

Krad.

_For some reason this word was spoken softer than the others and held so much pity he felt his chest constrict. _

**_Hmm?_**

_He felt little plops of water on the bare skin of his shoulder, between what was left of his white robes. He heard the demon sink to its knees and then felt a warm arm across his chest, puling him close. _

My God, what has he done to you...

_It registered in his mind that he should be appauled. It also registered that it was the most comfort he'd recieved from anyone in almost eighty years. It was at that moment his brain officially decided to shut down._

* * *

Dark pulled out of Krad's memories and brought them both back to the present, his hand finally lifting from a sweaty pale brow. The white wings was panting and his eyes were bright. His face was flushed from anger and humiliation. For a moment neither half said a word and the hellhound came up behind Dark and nudged his elbow to make sure nothing was wrong.

The thief collapsed to one side of the blonde with a frustrated, "It was always **me**. Do you get it? I was always there." and he pressed into his shoulder to try and stop the bleeding. "I guess it never occured to you that anyone would be on your side huh." It wasn't working very well- if he didn't staunch it soon-... Oh, right, He couldn't because Krad had done such a number on him he couldn't even use what little magic he had to heal himself. _**Damn and double damn. Looks like checkmate... **_"Call your dog's seal off." Krad ordered quietly. "Eh?"

"You heard me. Please." There was no fight in Krad's voice anymore. It was just a simple request. Dark indicated to the hound with a nod of his head and the curse sealing Krad to the ground disappeared slowly. As the blonde sat up the hound lifted his lips and growled lowly to assure him that if he was going to do anything to Dark, it would be stopped by his jaws. "Let me see your shoulder." Dark gave a hollow little laugh "Why, so you can finish it off? No, thanks." and his laugh turned into a deep throaty cough. Krad was close enough to see that flecks of blood colored the phantom's sleeve as he covered his mouth.

It looked like Krad may have nicked one of the phantom's lungs as well. "Actually, I was planning on healing you."

Dark blinked, then stuck a finger in his ear and rotated to make sure their wasn't a buildup of wax impeding his hearing. "Eh?-Excuse me?" The blonde sat next to him with his lips pursed. "Sit up. I'm not going to say it again."

The thief struggled to a sitting position and winced as the movement caused his wound to throb and new blood to leak out. How much blood could one person lose before they passed out? Unfourtunately he already knew the answer to that and it was '_not much more'. _Black streaked his vision which was getting steadily blurrier. "Whatever your gonna do... hurry up." He panted. Golden eyes narrowed and in a single flick of his wrist he'd unzipped and removed the thief's jacket. Cold air assulted his warm skin and immidiately tan skin broke out in goosebumps. "Ack-" He crossed his arms, "It's fuckin' freezing..." and let the sentence die off as Krad wound his wings impatiently around him. Krad coaxed out two cat claws from his fingertips and cut away the thin black tee shirt around the wound, then picked out two tiny strips that had embedded themselves in the injury. It really looked terrible. He pulled Dark's shoulder closer so he could see where the right wing had been on his back. That wound was definetly worse. _Hmm._

It looked like he'd have to put his arms underneath Dark's since he didn't want the phantom making his injuries worse by more movement.

In essence, he'd be hugging Dark. Krad shuddered and ordered, "Don't. Ever. Mention this again." before very slowly slipping his arms around the thief's torso and placing his chin on his shoulder, in order to see the wound clearly. He summoned up thin golden thread between his fingers and got to work, interspersing the stitching with bursts of magic as some of the muscles needed to be rebuilt entirely. He felt Dark chuckling and hissed, "What?" the bursts of warm air on his ear and neck making him didn't like being this close to anyone. He especially didn't like the fact that the air around them was getting warmer, thanks to their combined body heat.

" Heh, its just... Its funny- you being all motherly even when Aisoku's not around." Krad had finished the internal work and was now pulling the torn tan skin gently back together. Dark felt Krad's chest vibrate with a little growl. "I am not- you..." As Krad struggled for a comback Dark patted him between his wings once and muttered,

" I wasn't mocking you. It's just nice to see a different side of you...and thank you, I guess." **_Well, this isn't awkward at all. _**Dark didn't much like being this close to Krad either. Hell, being hugged by Krad was ... kind of like being hugged by a pretty woman. It sort of gave him butterflies. Krad had finished with his back and was eyeing up the damage on his front. "Like what you see?" He teased and was rewarded by Krad's usually emotionless face going bright red. "No. Of course not." He produced the same golden thread and needle as before and stabbed it rather savagely into the thief's skin. "Aow!"

"Oops." Krad grinned evilly and Dark glared at him. "You hoe,you did that on purpose." Krad hummed happily as he worked. "Just to show you how much I care." He let the needle hang for a moment and spread his fingers wide and Dark felt a hot feeling inside the wound, then watched with a kind of gross facination as new muscles knitted across the old ones. It didn't hurt though. If anything it felt good, sort of like streching a limb that had gone numb. Dark snorted. "Hah. I know that underneath it all you are as loving and affectionate as a newborn kitten." Krad remained silent for a moment, flexing his hand. Healing Dark was taking more energy than he thought. "I... think not." He was back to stitching again, and they were small and accurate.

"So.." Dark ventured, knowing that it was a bit much to ask but still peeved that Krad had tore off his frikin' wing, asked, "I believe an apology is in order."

Krad finished stitching and, after wrapping golden gauze around the thief's two horrendous wounds, paused. "I..." He glanced away from the thief and swallowed. For once after one of their fights, he felt terrible. Most likely that tamer would carry scars from this day for the rest of his life. And Dark... He was still shivering and the gold gauze he'd wrapped tightly against the wounds was already being stained. And worst of all, he knew that the phantom was right. They didn't have time for this. Somewhere close Aisoku was still being held captive and the only thing this little episode had done was weaken both of them. Krad closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

_Damn. Why is he always right? Why can I not... Why must I harm the only person who ever came to my call..._

"I'm sorry." It had been a whisper, but it still counted. "If my tamer's had not been... so cruel, I could have grown into a being you could ...understand, and grow to care for." Dark sighed and to the blonde's surprise, poked a finger into his chest and held it there as he stated,

"In case you haven't noticed, there are two people in this world I care about most. The first I think you know, and the second you've obviously been thinking was my tamer. He's third." He removed the finger and the feathers on his single wing ruffled with anger as he snarled,

"If you ever forget that you're the second most goddamn important thing in my life I'll do a hell of a lot worse than that hound." He gestured in the direction where the hound still sat.

"Understand?" Krad's eyes widened. For a moment he didn't say anything. He remembered Dark had said something like this before but it hadn't really stuck. In fact it still didn't...not really- Because who could hold a monster like him close to their heart?

_But... he seems sincere. _How strange.

_You... may not know it, but it is the same for me. _The memories Krad held closest to his heart... were Dark's reactions as their baby grew within him, and the first time he'd held Aisoku, and their petty domestic squabbles over when he would start smiling, and laughing, and ... Krad gave a small genuine smile, "You always have an interesting way of expressing your affections, mousy." Still, their was a warm feeling in his chest now that he didn't aknowledge, but wouldn't deny. Dark huffed as Krad helped him pull his jacket and gloves back on. "Same could be said for you, blondie. Now help me up." Krad put an arm underneath Dark's shoulders and together they walked back to the car, which seemed much farther away without the use of their wings. As they reached the edge of the line of trees Dark froze and Krad nearly tripped over him. "Eh?" Dark pointed with an expression of both irritation and disbelief. "Please tell me that's not our car." Krad winced as his human body urged him to take on his tamer's form and looked in the direction Dark was pointing. A tree had fallen directly on the hood of their rented car and smashed it down to tire level. Gas formed a huge black puddle in the snow around it.

The icing on the cake was the tree had been obviously knocked down my one of their magic blasts.

Snow was beginning to fall again and although their car appeared to be ruined, it was still shelter. Luckily the impact hadn't broken any of the windows or doors.

"Fuck! Damn damn son of kenny chesney justin beiber oprah sienfeld two and a half..." Dark's trail of odd insults died down as they approached the car and ended with, "Let me get the map." They both slid into the car and Dark called the hellhound in too, who deposited himself in the blonde's lap. The hound was taller than a great dane and wider than a mastiff and Krad had some difficulty seeing the map himself. "It looks like..." Dark was still panting from the walk and he realized both of them would need a few hours rest before continuing their journey. "It'd only take an hour to fly there from here. Assuming the weather clears up after we rest." Krad banished his wings and muttered, "You should set your watch then, otherwise I'm sure I could sleep for a few days." Dark chuckled and did just that,"Your telling me." then went around the car to join him in the back seat.

"What are you doing." He snarled as the phantom streched out on the demon dog's back, trying to get his legs under the dog as best he could.

"No gasoline, no heat, blondie, so snuggle up or ice up." The hellhound spread the wings as best it could over both of them and Dark transformed, letting Kyo get some well-deserved rest. Krad couldn't see the thief but could tell from his change in breathing that he had transformed and fallen asleep, so he followed suit.

Outside the snow continued to fall and the car's windows soon fogged from the warmth of two slightly less than human, humans.

* * *

It felt like only two seconds since Aisoku's head had hit the pillow when the same men who had shoved him into his bedroom were dragging him out again. At least they had let him wash the dried blood out of his hair and get something to drink, but no food. This time he was brought to a much larger room that was obviously deeper in the ground judging by temperature alone. As he walked in he noticed an enormous magic seal.

It was easily half as big as a football field and as he crossed it Lenka stood up, a small container in his right hand and a black marker in the other. "Ah, there you are." The magic made his skin tingle but was not unpleasant and as he walked across, the spaces where his boots had touched the intricate writing glowed a soft greenish-yellow.

"Hikari seals are very irritating." He said and to Aisoku's surprise, took a scalpel out of his jacket and slit a cut into his own finger, holding it out so it dotted over one of the inner circles.

"They don't really work unless the person drawing them either has magic power to draw from, or sacrifices a bit of themselves in return. A bit like all their other works really."

As the blood hit the black lines the greenish-yellow spread like a virus and lit up underneath them, making the room three times brighter and giving them both a sickly hue. "How do you know of these things?" Aisoku couldn't keep the words in. He thought the Hikari's were the only family and kept all their secrets within members of said family only.

"You didn't think that the Hikari's didn't want their art to die out do you? They were like all other great artists- Da Vinci, Leonardo, and taught others- students. Ones that they thought would be able to replicate their art. My great grandfather was one of them." The other vial was blood as well and he leaned down to make sure not a drop would go to waste.

Seeing the question in Aisoku's eyes he added, "Your blood. Obviously mine wasn't enough to stop you before, so-"

His words were cut off a dull roar suddenly sprang up from the seal and the air began whipping, picking Aisoku up off his feet and throwing him across the room like a paper doll. With his wings splayed he hit hard and slid down the wall and stared with his eyes wide open. The seal had transformed- it was now a bright blue and curled up and around in a swirling protective dome, Lenka placed in the very center and staring up at the swirling writing with something like wonder. The blue color made his skin glow and as Aisoku watched the colors swirled on the surface, a billion different shades of blue, like the sky made into a roiling liquid. Aisoku didn't feel wonder so much as fear.

"You see-" Lenka somehow managed over the noise, then quieted as the noise finally died to a soft murmur.

"I needed decent protection in order to get film of some of your better attacks. Amazing what a little drop of your blood can do, isn't it?" He glanced to the left and Aisoku noticed those same diamond-lens cameras he'd fiddled with before. Only these were a bit sturdier, judging by the protective cages around them. "I've managed to turn your own power against you and incidentally enough, your parents too- since this barrier and the one surrounding this entire compound are connected. Now, what can I say to elicit a really decent attack out of you?"

The blonde stood up shakily and walked over to the edge of the half-bubble, his hair rising in strands and his magic buzzing through his body. Everything felt strangely simple to him now. Or maybe that was the concussion speaking. "Nothing. You can't say anything to make me waste any more of my power for you and those cameras."

Then Lenka gave the most terrible grin he'd ever seen on the face of a human being, his silver eyes cold and flat

_snake's eyes_

and he pulled out the controller to the collar, letting it rest gently in the palm of his right hand.

"I can't say I wasn't hoping you would say that."

* * *

Oh noes! Will they get there in time? Will it take me 2 months to update! Find out in the next chappie of AU!


	15. Chapter 15

Bee-beep.

_**Oh God no.**_

Bee-beep.

_**Five more minutes, please. I'll do anything you want, you stupid watch.**_ Dark took over Kyo's form and pushed the infernal object away from himself but the beeping continued, becoming more distressed as he tried to go back to sleep. The hellhound's breathing was deep and even against his side and he could feel someone slumped up against his shoulder. He wasn't sure wither it was Krad or Kiryu though so he didn't move. Whoever it was their hands were curled up underneath their chin and their head pressed heavily into his shoulder. He brought the watch back up close to his head with a sigh and turned it off, turning his head so he could get a better look at who was using him for a pillow.

It was Kiryu and he patted the boys head once, trying to keep his shoulder still. The tamer had been through so much the least he could do was let him get a bit more sleep than himself. In a way Kiryu somehow reminded him of Daisuke. It was probably just his attitude towards the blonde, treating him like an older brother. Either that or the somewhat helpless vibe he gave off, a complete contradiction to the artwork asleep in his genes. Either way he truly enjoyed the young man's company and wished that he could have protected him from everything that had transpired the day before. He closed his eyes for a half second and felt Kiryu stirring awake and rubbing his eyes. "Nnn… Dark?" He smiled a bit but it was more of a grimace than anything. The kid looked completely wiped out. "Hey. About yesterday… I can't reverse a transformation halfway through. It would've been worse for you. I'm sorry, kid. I blew it." It took a moment for Kiryu to realize what he was talking about.

"Oh, that… that's okay." He sat up straighter and startled as the hound moved and its wings brushed the top of his head. He pulled his legs up and tapped his chest with a finger once. "He's awake too. I um…" He looked away for a moment and explained quietly, "I feel like I understand him better now. It's not exactly… the way I wanted to find out about all of that but…that's okay." He swallowed. "I didn't see much of his memories, but what I did see- how could people do that?" Kiryu shuddered. "It's so horrible."

Dark put a hand on his shoulder and murmured, "Best if you don't dwell on it, Kiryu. At all." The boy put a hand on his chest again and sighed, "He wants out again." then let out a small laugh. "So impatient. I'm sorry he hurt you." As he summoned up a picture of his crush in his mind Dark shrugged it off with, "Eh. He apologized- and he fixed my arm up pretty good." He rotated it a bit- still not one hundred percent but that could hardly be expected. Krad stretched and shivered, burying his side into the hellhound's black fur.

"Is this… what a hangover feels like?" He groaned and covered his eyes and Dark chuckled. "Nope. It's worse."

Krad snorted, his eyes still firmly shielded from the sun's rays. "Must we…leave now?" Dark reached up over the enormous hound to grab the map. "Yep. I-" The blonde suddenly jerked, his hand digging into the hellhounds hide so tight the animal growled. Krad hissed back, his hair beginning to bristle and the hellhound glanced at Dark, who shook his head. "What's going on."

Krad grit his teeth._ Is this… no, but it can't be… _But he'd felt this before.

The pressure of Aisoku's magic was increasing at a steady rate. _If it continues like this he will- "_Never mind. We have to hurry." The three of them piled out of the car and the two halves called their familiars- no sense in making their already spend bodies even more exhausted. Dark took a second to say goodbye to the hound and Krad watched in interest as the animal dissolved into nothing but his discarded wing and then to bones. "Is that…normal?" Dark shrugged and spread his black wings, fanning and stretching them.

"I don't know. I've never summoned one of those before."

They took off and Krad noted happily that it was overcast- they would be able to fly lower without being noticed. _Not we really need to worry about that._ He added. Nothing seemed to live out here. Not even trees. "Where are we headed?" He asked the thief who had pulled out the map and was studying it. "We follow this fer about forty minutes and then another road off to the left for about twenty. It's right outside a tiny little town." Dew coated Krad's wings and as they flew the primary feathers on his wings brushed Dark's. The thief let out a sound that was almost a giggle and raked his wing backwards across Krad's ruffling the feathers.

"Awe, is your wing making a pass at mine?" Krad leaned towards the thief with his wings and snapped the left one out, smacking him across the head with it. "Of course not!"

"Aooww…"

"Oi, Krad?" The angel tracked a herd of caribou underneath them with his eyes. "Hmm?" Dark tapped his shoulder. "How come these bandages aren't all stained up and ruined? I'm sure I was still bleeding yesterday." Krad answered quietly, "They aren't normal bandages- they absorb blood and keep the wounds sterilized until you remove them."

The thief seemed surprised. "Huh. I don't think I can do that. Where did you learn that?"

The blonde shrugged and murmured, "I suppose … I learned a lot about healing being with the Hikari's." The thief got quiet and turned his attention back to the snaking road underneath them. The last thing he wanted to do was remind Krad of that again. His shoulder pulsed painfully and he winced. Despite how helpful the bandages were his shoulder still stung like hell and he hoped it wouldn't affect his thieving skills too badly.

* * *

Aisoku thought he was doing pretty well, all things considering. So far he hadn't given Lenka the satisfaction of any attacks he hadn't already seen, but he wasn't sure how long that was going to last.

The barrier the man had created seemed invulnerable to any of the attacks he's assaulted it with. Luckily the cameras weren't but he hadn't managed to knock either of them down yet. He was quickly reaching his breaking point and as another wave of electric pain washed over him he hoped that he would pass out. He didn't. Lenka sighed and fiddled with the controller, passing it from one hand to the other then back again as he spoke.

" Aisoku… How long will you continue defending yourself? I have no doubts you can produce much more than what you've been showing."

He didn't bother to reply and dug his nail into one of the cracks in the collar but he knew it was useless. Aisoku didn't have any of his equipment on him and his nails weren't near long or hard enough to loosen the metal links underneath. The tips of his fingers itched and burned from hours of scraping against it. "Please …stop." It wasn't more than a dry whisper and he touched his raw neck, he felt a trickle of either sweat or blood. He licked his cracked lips and the coppery taste of blood lingered in the back of his throat.

Thankfully the floor was blissfully cool and the one chunk of rubble that had fallen off the wall when he'd hit it wasn't digging into his side too badly. Every bone ached but aside from that, his joints were feeling strangely loose and hot. He heard Lenka laugh.

"I'm afraid I can't, Aisoku, so the only thing left for me to do is keep increasing these shocks until you finally produce some results."

God he hated that man's voice.

He pushed back a sudden wave of anger, a little startled. It wasn't like him to lose his cool- and he had to admit he was a little afraid of what might happen. As he curled up and prepared himself for another shock a woman observing the two of them turned away from the window in the door. Inessa couldn't believe he'd finally gone this far. Even though he didn't know it- or maybe he did, which was an even worse thought-he was pushing Aisoku to whatever 'true form' the Black Wings had. And if that was the case, she needed to get everyone out of the building now.

She swiped her card at the staircase and began winding her way up to her main office. She'd been allowed to tap into Lenka's phone for when he was too busy to give more important announcements and pressed nine and three to tap into it once more, pausing for a moment to think of a good reason to get everyone out of the building fast. Luckily because it was so late there were far less people.

"Hello. It has come to our attention that there may be a carbon monoxide leak in the lower vicinities of our building. We have hired a team of professionals to take care of this problem but would appreciate it if all employees would file out to their cars and head home. We will start calls out tomorrow morning to inform you of the latest developments on this problem. Thank you."

She sat down and opened the blind on the window in her office. What she really wanted to be doing was helping the poor boy in the basement but first she had to make sure the parking lot was completely empty aside from her and Lenka's cars. And the cars of those two 'assistants'.

As she waited her finger tapped and her leg twitched impatiently. It seemed like the lot was taking forever to empty. But she'd be damned if she was going to let anyone else get hurt because of what her crazed boss was doing. She ran her hands through her blonde hair and covered her face.

As much as she wanted to go and help Aisoku… she couldn't. If she did anything Lenka would make sure it was impossible for her to get a job anywhere else and without that income her sister wouldn't be able to afford kidney replacement surgery. Not to mention that both of her parents also relied on her.

Vlad was in the parking lot putting away the last few pieces of equipment when he noticed an unusual amount of people leaving. He went up to one of the coworkers that had actually warmed up to him and nudged him with an elbow. "Hey, what's going on?" The man, a twenty-something year old with dark brown eyes that reminded Vlad of a lovesick puppy answered, "Not sure. They said something about their being a leak of carbon monoxide somewhere in the basement and that everyone had to leave." Immediately his eyes narrowed. _Load of bull if you ask me…. I'll bet that damn Lenka's up to something…_

"Weird. I'm gonna make sure Inessa gets out okay? Her car's still here, after all." He gestured to the white Honda Accord near the front doors. "Aww…" The man patted him on the shoulder and gave him a seductive look.

"You got a crush on her eh? I guess she is pretty-" Vlad snorted and wrinkled his nose, interrupting, "Hardly. I'll see you later okay?" before heading off towards the entrance. He didn't have time for women who couldn't stand up for themselves. But she probably knew what was actually going on here, and he wasn't going to leave that kid at Lenka's mercy. He'd pretended that his two flights had been cancelled because of bad weather to buy him enough time to see the kid escape. But when he'd discreetly asked Inessa if he had, it was obvious that she was lying just to get him out of the building and Lenka's hair. He headed up to her office, two stairs at a time, and opened her door without bothering to knock. "Inessa." Her eyes were red and he paused at the doorway before saying, "So what's really going on?" She sighed shakily. "What do you think you can do against their power, Vlad? You're only human."

His grip on the door frame tightened. "I don't know … but I'm going to try. Unlike you."

She stood up and her fists clenched as she spat, "Don't presume you know everything about me! Just…" She walked over to the door. As she brushed past him she slipped two cards into his front pocket and whispered, "Third level, third door on the right. Use the white card first." She squeezed his wrist gently and after she let go the skin felt colder than before.

"Good luck..."

Despite himself he found that he said, "Thanks." just before he headed down the stairwell and cursed himself quietly.

* * *

As they flew Krad had an odd sense that they were approaching some kind of a barrier and slowed down, letting himself drop back behind the thief. "Eh? What are you doing?" Dark turned to look at him and as he did, his body impacted and bounced off of what seemed to be some kind of invisible curve. "Oof!" He spiraled down for a moment and snapped his wings out angrily.

"What the Hell?"

Krad was having a hard time staying aloft because he was laughing so hard.

The thief had just… looked so ridiculous, impacting on nothing and bouncing off like a kid on a trampoline. Finally he gave up and landed, holding his ribs and clapping a hand over his mouth to try and stifle the noise.

Dark's face was flushed as he landed too and demanded, "Hey! Did you do that? Because it wasn't funny!"

Krad sucked in enough air to manage, "Nu-no, it was there before….pfft…" and finally got himself back under control, save for the flush in his cheeks and the grin in one corner of his mouth. "Well you're the barrier expert- you try going through it!" He shoved the blonde into the barrier and Krad caught himself against it. His hands crackled with yellow magic and around it a dull outline of light blue. He ran a hand along the curve and sensed that this barrier was indeed, Aisoku's magic. However, wether he had placed it here willingly… unlikely. The strongest spells were made from the strongest emotions, and if Aisoku's blood was taken against his will, Krad should be able to create a barrier that could cloak the presence of one person enough to get through. But that was the problem- only one. One of them would have to stay behind.

He stepped away from the barrier, plucked four feathers from his wings, two from each, and admitted to himself that there was only one logical conclusion. Despite the fact he wasn't in top condition, Dark would have to go. Krad gritted his teeth and Dark noticed the tightening of the tendon's in the blonde's neck. "What's up, Casper?"

He put his hand on Dark's shoulders and ordered, "Stand over here, like so. This should only take a minute." directing the thief a few feet away from him. "May I ask what you're doing?" Dark said with a huff. He didn't much like being ordered around either. Krad was muttering seals under his breath and he placed one of the feathers on the inside of the thief's wrist; after a moment it tightened against the skin and felt like warm velvet. Krad's magic irritated his own like rubbing a cat's fur the wrong way.

"I'm placing a seal around your body with these. Aisoku's barrier's too strong for the both of us to enter it at the same time. We wouldn't be able to retrieve him successfully." Dark ran a hand along the barrier and snorted.

"You serious?"

Krad sighed. "If you should like to try it without my help- go ahead." With that he took the phantom's shoulders and forced him inside the barrier. With a yelp he was smashed headfirst into the snow. The barrier's pressure was crushing him like he was underwater and as he struggled Krad grabbed his ankles and pulled him back out. "Understand?" Dark sighed and held out his other wrist. "So should I do the same to you or what?"

Krad shook his head, "Too much of a bother. He set it up specifically to keep us out-So I had to decode it and write a counter-spell. Bit irritating really." and secured the other feather on his thick wrist. As he did golden liquid seemed to leak out of the first feather and began snaking up his arm. Dark jerked in surprise and his magic flared up. The blonde saw him flinch and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax. It's supposed to do that. It won't work properly if you don't calm down."

Dark was still twitching as it made its way up his shoulder, across his collarbone and made a lazy 'v' shape before crossing to the other side of his chest.

"I could not be… more relaxed… than I am right now."

Krad was busy placing a seal on the other feather but could still hear Dark's magic conflicting with the sealing spell. "Mm hmm." He crouched down next to the phantom's foot and placed another feather around his ankle, then finished the job with one last feather around Dark's right ankle. "There." The gold was racing across the thief's clothing now, down his ribs and hips and the outside of his thighs, the design reminding Dark of a blackberry bush growing- branching out from the main stem, then the largest second and third, and so on until he was almost completely covered. It seemed to imitate the shape of armor and he ran a hand over it and winced as it buzzed unpleasantly. It had even branched out over his wings. "You can get it to stop glowing right? I mean it's not exactly subtle if l try to bust in sparking like this. But since I don't know exactly where he is…"

Krad waved a hand in a flippant way and the gold light went out. "I will direct you. I will be able to sense his proximity as long as you allow me to stay connected with you for a while. Happy now?" Dark checked to make sure the spell wasn't restricting his movements in any way and when he was satisfied chirped, "Yep. You okay without parental supervision for a bit while I get him out of there?" Krad snorted and said, "Is that your discreet way of asking me not to kill anyone while you're gone?"

"Yep."

Krad's eyes narrowed. "I have… dealings with one of the humans leaving this place. But it won't interfere with our leaving." The phantom sighed and felt extremely sorry for the poor bastard who was getting the business end of Krad's aggression.

"Can I ask who, then?" Krad's eyes turned a dangerous shade of yellow and he spat, "The one who took him from us and lived." All traces of humor left the phantom's face and he swallowed, suddenly looking tired. "I'll be back in a little while."

"You'd best hurry. He's on the verge of transforming." Dark almost smacked him and his wings flared out as he snarked.

"Why the _Hell_ didn't you tell me that sooner?" He took off through the barrier, his wings rowing a little harder than normal to carry him through the crushing power of his son's magic. As he did Krad walked back towards the road and leaned on one of the remaining trees. It wasn't like a man with an enormous scar of five claws raked across his face would be hard to recognize. He'd wait. And when he did finally show Krad would make sure he'd understand that the decision to participate in the kidnapping that night was the worst decision that stupid human had ever made.

* * *

Vlad flicked his card through the first card swipe and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when it flashed green and opened.

_Third floor… I've never even been on the third floor down here… _He thought as he headed down the hallway, wondering why no one had even bothered to attempt decorating the place. There were no pictures, no carpets or rugs, just a row of glaring halogen bulbs in the ceiling, the cords connecting them thick with spider webs. It also smelled strange this far down. Not like dirt at all, but solid rock, stale and cloying.

This part of the tunnel/hallway had obviously been created with blasts of tnt- the corners of it were uneven, cracked, and buckled in and back at random intervals. As he reached the door all the lights in the hallway suddenly flashed out, as if there had been a power surge.

Vlad put a hand against the door and as he did, felt a hand on his shoulder and a voice say, "Move along sonny. I don't want any trouble."

Every similar scenario in every horror movie he had ever seen flashed through his mind and he turned slowly.

Dark's eyes glowed dully in otherwise total darkness like tiny purple orbs lit from within. Vlad managed to surpress what was most definitely going to be a very girlish scream and asked, "Uh… turn off the headlights first? You're creeping me out." Dark blinked and they went out. He maneuvered around the doctor, slipping the card out of Vlad's pocket and sliding it into the card reader. The light flashed green.

As it did one of the hall lights struggled back on, giving off a feeble light and he was able to see the thief better. "If you'll excuse me." As he walked around him Vlad put an arm across the doorway. "You're not the only one who cares about Aisoku, you know. And who are you anyway?" Dark smirked and tapped his temple, indicating his eyes. "What, these don't look familiar?" Vlad blinked and his mouth opened in recognition.

"Oh...oh!" He moved out of the way and as he did Dark suddenly stopped. There was a blue light emanating from the room and Vlad thought he heard a strange noise- like the cracking of bones.

And something like growling- He took a step closer and Dark suddenly shoved him in the chest so hard he almost fell. "Get out of here now."

"What-But he-"

"Go!" He snapped over his shoulder, his eyes lighting up with power again, and the wings against his back flaring. Vlad swallowed and before he could so much as draw another breath, the door snapped shut.

* * *

Aisoku's mind was stretched beyond thought.

The pain was everywhere, black red and smothering. He was on the ground, twisting and writing like the damn animal this pain brought out in him. He had his teeth clenched so he wouldn't bite his own tongue in half. His wings were slapping and flexing of their own will, the feathers dull from chafing on the cement floor. It felt like his bones were on fire. The anger was back again and he tried to push it away but this time it grew instead of faded. He wanted to kill Lenka. And something… something terrible in the deepest part of his brain, primitive and reptilian… was egging him on. Encouraging him to just –what? Lose himself.

That was what.

The pain stopped and he lay completely still, smoking slightly. Black lighting stabbed across his brain.

Lenka was saying something again but Aisoku only caught the 's' and 't's because something rather peculiar was happening to him. He brought a suddenly throbbing hand up close to his face to find out why it was aching so badly.

The tips of his fingers were strangely swollen and it looked like a thin bone was just underneath the skin. He curled his fingers in and saw the bones break through the surface, realizing they were actually claws. He could see it all happening and knew it must be painful but he didn't feel anything except for his heart thundering away in his chest. It felt like it was going to explode. But he didn't want to die like this. He wanted to live!

He saw an odd scaly pattern start at his fingers and spread up his arms, the larger plates on his joints and the widest flat areas of his arm.

It tingled like pins and needles but still no pain. His eyesight was getting better- he could see every hair on Lenka's head, the sheen of sweat on his face. Aisoku's started to hear an odd popping and cracking and saw the joint on his arm moving up… and the bend in his knee too. Was he shrinking?

Even as he thought it the metallic collar around his neck started straining and popping, the sections actually clattering away from him.

…_ I'm growing…_

He could feel his body stretching like someone had grabbed him at the head and ankles, the gross popping and grinding of gristle and tearing of his clothes. The scaling was covering his body and the sides of both his temples pounded horribly. His ears twisted up and back

…_aah…_

and he closed his eyes tightly. His nose and jaw were stretching out- for one terrifying moment he couldn't breathe as the cartilage in his nose crunched down and out; his teeth and tongue stretched to form some kind of a muzzle. It was happening faster now.

He startled as his back rubbed up against the ceiling- he crouched down. From each vertebra on his back a spike sprouted- the last thing he remembered lucidly was the look on Lenka's face as he turned to face him.

Then, he let the beast loose on the scientist.

* * *

Krad glanced at each car as it passed and was occasionally rewarded by the driver of the car swerving, obviously not used to a yellow-eyed man standing and observing the passing traffic. As what must have been the fifth passed he winced and held his chest. He could feel the transformation pushing at him, forcing his canines down and his fingertips to ache. Quickly he loosened his bond with Aisoku.

..._So he was not able to make it in time. _He thought and his eyebrows met in concern. He wanted to go assist in any way he could but as long as that barrier was up it was taking almost all he had just to keep the thief safe from it's crushing weight. As his mind wandered he was suddenly broiught back to the present as he recognized a familiar scar. A scar he had carved, on the face of a man in a red Toyota. From a good thirty feet behind he made the motion of picking the car up. The red Toyota suddenly left the ground. His next motion mimicked the car being thrown into the nearby ditch with so much force that it rolled three or four times before coming to a smouldering stop.

Krad ran a hand through his hair with a sigh and left the area, going back to the main side of the barrier.


	16. Chapter 16

Dark whispered a curse under his breath as the true form of the Black Wings opened his maw and blue flame erupted out. They shot straight through the light blue barrier and as they did it flickered out. He sent a wave of his own purple magic out to bring it down and it cracked and shattered like glass, spilling out over the concrete floor. But the shock wave from the barrier shattering caught the thief completely by surprise. He threw up a barrier of his own, a black and purple shield and was thrown backward into the wall.

"Augh-!" He hit it in the worst way- his spine first and head last so it was whiplashed against the solid concrete. He slid down, clutching his head and felt wetness in the roots of his hair. Inside his head he felt Kyo flicker out into unconsciousness. _Ah, shit… _ His own head dropped forward and his mind fell into the blackness; his last sensation was the boiling heat of Aisoku's flames. The two bone-white feathers around his wrist flared to life with golden light and deflected the heat with a hiss. As the flames curled around the scientist the only thing that passed through the man's mind was _… How?_ He was reduced to blackened flesh first, and then bone and finally nothing except ash, what was left of his body leaving a mark on the floor.

The animal shook his body out and took a few steps, his large horse-like nostrils snuffing the floor to make sure every last trance of him was gone.

The whiskers drew lines in the single last bits of ash and the creature sneezed and brought its narrow head up to sniff at the ceiling. He didn't want to be in this dark room anymore – there was hardly any good air left because of his blast and his brain still realized he was far too large to fit through the small hole in the back of the room. He'd have to make his own exit. Before that though… He followed the other strange human scent to near where the door was and nudged the unconscious thief.

He didn't move. The Black Wings dismissed him as a threat and turned around, any part that would have recognized Dark no longer present in his mind.

He reared up and back slightly and his neck made a graceful s-shape, similar to the neck of a swan. When he opened his muzzle again you could see it was filled with large wolf teeth, embedded in pink and ringed with black lips. As he let the flames loose a second time the fire reflected in his eyes and across his countless scales. It was white-hot and after a few moments the cement began to buckle downward and then drip in long white and blue strands down onto the floor.

* * *

Krad didn't waste any time as soon as he saw the barrier clearing- he took to the air and called out to Dark to ask what was going on.

_Dark?_ _…Dark? You're not funny you know that? Answer me, idiot._ He felt the barrier he'd set around Dark suddenly drain him of a good chunk of magic and dropped a few feet, and gritted his teeth together. What had the fool gotten himself into now? _DARK! _Back inside the building Dark's hand twitched and with considerable effort he grabbed the door handle and opened it. It let in just enough oxygen for the thief to clear his thoughts. First priority-get out of this room. Second- a crack appeared beside the hole Aisoku was making in the ceiling and began branching out to the other side of the room with alarming speed. Yep, he definitely should get out of this building too. He blinked repeatedly as he maneuvered around the door and answered Krad with,

_**Stop yellin' at me would you…**_ as he tried to clear his vision. He could feel the door handle and sort of see the outline of his arm …and the floor and walls… He went out into the hallway and used the closed door to lean on as he shut it.

_**The hell…? **_He did his best to hide his confusion from Kyo but his tamer caught on anyway_. __** Dark, what's going on? **_He could feel the wall cool under his fingers, and smell the smoke from Aisoku's remodeling, and hear the ceiling beginning to collapse. As if Kyo's prodding wasn't enough Krad interjected, _What's going on? Have you been able to get Aisoku- _Dark interrupted as he felt his way down the hall, _**Could you both be quiet for a second? I'm having some trouble. **_ His head pounded with the worst headache he'd ever experienced and his depth perception was totally off- he was bumping into doors and walls that seemed to jump out at him on his left side.

_Trouble with what? _ He covered his left eye and looked down the hall- shapes and blurred colors. He switched and covered his right eye. Nothing. Not one thing-not even grey. And his left eye was definitely open and moving.

_**I think… Never mind. Just get over here fast. I think he damaged the support cables in the building. It will probably come down if he manages to blast through to the roof.**_ Dark had never been one to be afraid of things but right here and now he felt about as helpless as a little kid, feeling his way down the hall like an idiot. Somehow after what felt like an eternity he managed to make his way to the stairs. As he did however he heard a frustrated roar from Aisoku and suddenly the building started to collapse underneath him. Apparently Aisoku'd managed to blast through sooner than Dark had expected. _**Shit shit shit shit- **_He chanted in his head as he sprinted up the stairwell and Krad snapped, _Why don't you just fly? _

_**Because I can't fuckin' see- **_

* * *

Krad's connection within Dark's head broke off like a wire snapping and he flinched. _Dark? _Not good- the thief definitely wasn't coming back anytime soon. He swept his wings back and gave two sharp strokes and sped up, ignoring the way the speed made his eyes water. He could see smoke rising from the building and as he drew closer he realized what it was. More accurately he saw an enormous blue-white flare of flame fill the sky and afterwards hear a dull roar that seemed to shake even the sky he was poised in. _Aisoku… _

The Black Wings had spotted Krad and was following him with his eyes. His scales glittered against the light of the snow, each one a different shade of blue and even a few pure ebony scales mixed in. He sat perched proudly on two of the remaining metal reinforcements of the pile of rubble that was once a building with his two front legs straight and his back legs beside- like a dog.

He shifted his position as Krad came closer- unwrapping a long whip-thin tail from bird talons and opening his leathery wings slightly. They had completely shed all feathers and now were the same Prussian blue with an overtone of silver as most of the scaling on his body. As his wings opened Krad caught a hint of the patters along the inside of the wing- black strips. The only thing Krad could relate the pattern to was the irregular blotches on coy. Within the black sections he could barely see silver orbs like the spots on a black jaguar. The Black Wings shook out the appendages and crouched down, then launched himself into the air with a huff that pushed smoke from his fleshy nose. Before Krad could properly react the Black Wings was almost upon him.

His mouth was wide open ready to snap Krad up like he'd seen Dark tackle a ham sandwich.

"Ah!" He snapped his wings in and dropped like a stone to the last place Dark had spoken- the stairwell. Unlike the rest of the building it had been double reinforced with cables and traditional steel and had not collapsed, thought he roof was cracked and sections had fallen onto the stairs, letting in dull light.

In his mind Kiryu gave a frightened shout- Krad hadn't opened his wings yet and they were seconds from plowing onto what was left of the roof. _Krad! _ Krad grit his teeth and waited until he heard the Black Wings give a roar of frustration and pull away. When he opened his wings the force of them catching the wind sent him into a painful landing- head over wingtips. But he stood up and ran down into the darkness of the stairwell without paying mind to his stinging knees and hands. He knew he only had precious few seconds to get Dark out of there before the Black Wings came around a second time.

He gave a little hiss of irritation and turned on his own 'headlights', glancing around as he descended the stairs. He hoped the thief wasn't too far down otherwise Aisoku- _The Black Wings. _ He corrected himself- could simply stick his head in and turn them both into toast.

His eyes caught a glimmer of black feathers and crouched down next to his other half. At first he didn't understand why the thief was unconscious but a sheen of blood near his neck caught Krad's eye. Gingerly he wrapped a hand around the back of the thief's head and felt upwards until a bump on the phantom's head became apparent- it was nearly the size of a goose egg. Some rubble must have fallen directly onyto his head. As he did Dark winced and let out a small groan but made no move to open his eyes. But seeing as he moved his head Krad could tell his neck was alright. He sighed and with some effort hauled the thief into his arms by looping one arm underneath his knees and the other under his arms, trying to get his head not to roll back too far. The last thing he needed was to harm Dark more.

He shot back up the stairs his more than human hearing gave him a half second warning – he was able to smash both himself and the thief flat against the cement wall just as Aisoku's head overshot him by only a few feet, the spiraled black horns sprouting from his temples digging into Krad's hip and pinning him. "Au-ugh!"

It was times like this he wished he had a bit more fat to protect him from these kinds of things. He put an arm over the Black Wing's horn to ease the pressure; it was easy to do considering it was almost four and a half feet long and ridged. The animal growled and Krad could feel the vibration in the dragon's jaw and down its thick neck. The smell of fire clung to the creature as well as the strange tickle of magic humans couldn't detect.

As he moved he was able to catch a glance into the eye of the beast. It was nearly as big as a dinner plate and the pupil was one long ice-white slit, ringed with yellow that streaked out into electric blue. An insane thought came to Krad. _Perhaps it isn't anger fueling this after all. _In fact he thought he could feel tremors running along underneath the scales, causing them to flex in waves. _I think its fear… _Just for a moment he felt the connection with his son flare up again and his entire body was flooded with the emotion, confirming his suspicion. Aisoku was terribly afraid- afraid he'd never be able to get back to his human body, afraid that he couldn't control this monster at all- afraid he was going to hurt the two people who cared the most about him.

_Aisoku- _The beast roared and rotated his head, trying to scrape Krad off before pulling his head out of the stairwell but he held tightly and somehow managed to drop the thief by the doorway before being flung into the air as the Black Wings tossed its head.

_Damn. _Obviously the creature was happy about being free and didn't want the White Wings interfering with its host. His stomach dropped into his shoes as the black wings continued shaking its head. He wasn't afraid of heights in the slightest but being flung around aimlessly with no idea which direction was up or down…And he didn't dare open his wings. It had been made obvious it was no effort for this creature to out-fly him.

_And Dark's down for the count- _His thoughts were snapped off as the Black Wings decided to try a different tactic.

It slammed him into the ground, using the flat part of his skull between the eyes to pin Krad to the steel skeleton of the building. He tried to scream and realized the impact had knocked the wind out of him. Krad made a pathetic choked sound and couldn't manage anything more powerful than a few tentative, shallow breaths. He knew it would take a few minutes to get it back but also knew he had only seconds until the Black Wings turned him into soot.

His magic had been almost completely depleted thanks to a combination of the hellhound's seal, the protective spell around Dark, and the fact he hadn't slept in two days or eaten since yesterday morning… He only had enough to dive into this artworks mind once. Krad would only get one chance or Aisoku might remain like this forever.

A horrid scene flashed through his mind- the Black Wings chained in a cage, wings bound, steel gantlets around its legs. No.

_No! _He'd never let his son experience that hell. He'd rather die by flames here and now. Krad reached up as the artwork's head came down a second time and grabbed onto the horn, yanking his large head down enough to run his hand down between the two eye ridges where Aisoku's mind lay dormant. His hand lit up with golden light- the beast tried to jerk back but Krad managed to hold it still just long enough to dive into its mind. The both of them, a human body and a dragon's, froze up and then lowered into the rubble as if in a kind of trance. Both eyes closed.

The first thing he noticed was the silence. The blonde opened his eyes and pulled himself to his feet, no longer weighed down by an overly-abused human body. He felt extremely exposed in this soul-form and it certainly brought back unpleasant memories but he pushed them aside. _… Krad? Where are we..? _His tamer asked uncertainly as they looked around. Krad could feel his boots against the floor but everything else was obscured with a grayish-black fog.

It was impossible to see what lay ahead, behind or above him. _We're inside Aisoku's mind, master. Now all I have to do is find him. _The White Wings turned around slowly until he felt the faintest flicker of Aisoku's presence. It was clearly being muffled by something… no, someone. Yellow eyes narrowed as he headed off at a quick clip and his boots thudded softly against the hard floor.

He would not tolerate any more … interference. If the Black Wings had managed to somehow manifest its own 'soul' it would be a bit of a bother taking care of it. But the artwork was incredibly young and inexperienced…It was like handing the keys of a Porsche to a three-year-old. He might have some idea of what to do with the magic and if he figured it out all of them could be in deep trouble. Krad made an irritated 'tsk' by letting out a rush of air through his teeth. The real problem was the Black Wings was one of a kind, impossible to compare with any other artworks he'd encountered thus far.

As he walked a figure began to appear in the darkness so fast that Krad almost bumped into it before he could stop.

His wings gave a startled flap and he took a step back, his shoulders rising. The figure before him was definitely not Aisoku. He was taller for one and the wings on his back were bat like, made of soft blue skin and not feathers. The hair on his head was blue as well and matched the shade in his eyes.

His outfit was a combination of blue, accented with black and white and Krad stated quietly, "So, you're more than just a dumb beast after all."

He paused as movement caught his eye and his hand instinctively reached out, snatching up whatever it was behind the Black Wings.

"Ouch!" The Black Wings tried to yank it out of Krad's grip but failed and the blonde turned the thin object around in his hand with interest. The scales were dry, warm and smooth on the black Wing's tail and it curled defensively. Actually- to correct himself, they gave off the _impression _of being warm and smooth. Nothing here was tangible, after all. Krad's hand had just managed to catch the place between inch-high black spikes that protruded from each of the vertebra down his tail, getting smaller until they disappeared a few inches from the end. "So where is Aisoku?" To Krad's surprise the Black Wing's gave a childish pout. "You're really no fun are you?"

"I'm not one for games." The Black Wings opened and stretched the leathery appendages attached to his back, showing off the soft silver orbs hidden in the black patterns. "Well… I'm not sure I want to give up control just yet." He crossed his scaled arms and looked off to Krad's left and the blonde growled.

It was as he suspected- Black Wings had access to an almost unlimited amount of magic but didn't know how to use it, otherwise he would have attacked already. Also, Krad could sense his magic and although it was powerful it was unfocused.

Krad picked him up by the scruff of his neck and brought their faces inches apart and the Black Wing's tail curled up between his legs like a puppy.

"Listen up you overgrown salamander." He forced golden light into his eyes and his pupils became black needles of anger in yellow glass. His wings flared up and around the Black Wings and crackled with magic. "Mommy's pissed. I'm going to count to three and if he is not right in front of me by the time I get to three you are going to _**get it.**_ Understand?" He emphasized the last word by pressing his forehead against the younger boy's.

"One…"

The tail thumped angrily against the ground as the Black Wings vented, "Oh the first time I get out in twenty years and the first thing you do is-" waving his arms just like a certain phantom when he was distressed.

Krad couldn't help but roll his eyes and mutter "You definitely don't get that from me. Two." giving the little artwork a shake as he did. "Alright, alright! Just…put me down first." Krad had the evil urge to just shake the creature until his son appeared but did let him down.

"You will teach him, won't you? How to use the power so I can pay you back for this later?" Krad nodded. The Black Wings straightened with a sigh and he tapped his sternum. "He's in here." Fire flared up around the Black Wings and expanded and Krad took a few steps back in alarm as the boy within blurred into nothing, then something again. By now the fireball was a few feet above his head and roaring like an angry waterfall. In fact the only reason the blonde wasn't backing up farther was the fact he felt no heat from these flames. He reached out and let his fingertips into the tongue of one green flame.

_Krad! What are you doing! _Kiryu quieted down as the flame passed over Krad's fingertips painlessly with a feeling like hot water.

_It is alright. These are just a manifestation of Aisoku's confusion. _He felt Aisoku's presence near the middle and entered the fire tentatively. It engulfed his body instantly in a blur of color- green and purple but predominately orange, the color of fear. Finally the flames parted to a small clear area in the middle, no larger than Krad's body and wings. He noticed a section of the flames was a different color than the others, a faint blue, and it seemed to hold the shape of a boy. "Aisoku?" It didn't seem to understand and he used his thought-voice quietly, _Aisoku? _The shape flickered and the color intensified slightly.

_Dad? Dad I can't get back to my human body- I can't change back! _Krad held out his hand palm up. _Yes you can. Here. Take my hand. _A section of fire detached itself from the mass and reached out and settled into Krad's hand. The connection the White Wings had to his son flared up stronger than ever and he closed his eyes, enjoying the way it spread out from his chest. _I remember exactly the way your hand looks. Can you see it? _

He brought up a memory of the boy's hand to the front of his mind and heard Aisoku's surprised. …_yeah. _The fire in Krad's palm suddenly reshaped itself into a small human hand. _And your arm, and body and legs and wings…_

He went through it section by section until nothing was left and opened his eyes again. His son was there, looking shaken and tired as heck but relieved. His blonde hair, so like Krad's own, even looked a bit singed on one corner and he had ash smeared on the middle of his face. He was wearing something nondescript, some kind of white tee shirt and pants. For a moment Krad hesitated as his throat closed up from emotion.

"Um… hi dad."

Krad dropped to his knees and before he could say or do anything more his consciousness was forced back into his exhausted human body.

He lay very still and listened to the fluttering of his human heart, the stretch and relax as his chest rose up and down slowly. He could hear birds and the rush of the wind as it reorganized his bangs. The tiniest speck of snow landed on his nose and melted instantaneously. He wanted to just dissolve into the ground, he was so tired. He lifted his head half an inch and could see the body of the great dragon shrinking like an over stretched slinky, down and down until he had to sit up in order to see Aisoku properly. He stood up, his legs shaking like a newborn foal and made his way over to his son.

Aisoku still had the leathery bat wings, covered only by a velvet layer of blue fur. It wasn't a good thing considering it was beginning to snow- he needed to get Aisoku and Dark someplace safe where they could rest, as well as himself. He sat down next to Aisoku and ran a hand through his soft blonde hair, leaned down and hissed his forehead. Aisoku's eyebrows drew together in confusion, "Hn?" then smoothed out as he realized who was sitting near him. He was wearing the Black Wing's clothes. There was a short blue trench coat with white stripes across the shoulders and down the sleeves, pants that morphed into shoes somewhere around his ankles, and a shirt underneath with the Hikari cross emblazoned from his collarbones to his waist.

Krad also noticed the boy seemed to have aged a few years- he looked about fourteen now, his chin coming closer to the same shape as Dark's.

He didn't need to say anything.

He simply scooped Aisoku up into his arms and hugged him, tucking his blonde head under his own, half-curling his warm wings around the boy's smaller body. He felt Aisoku's arms wrap around him and dig into what was left of the thick coat Dark had picked out for him at the beginning of the trip.

"You should pull your wings in." Krad murmured into his ear. "I don't want you to catch a chill after all this." The boy did. "I'm really sorry for all of this…"

He began to look around at all the rubble. How could he have possibly done all of this? He'd completely demolished a two-story building single-handedly. "Krad…" He said softly. "Did I … kill anyone?"

Krad's eyes became like burnished brass.

"Only the scientist two put that…device around your neck." He touched Aisoku's neck and was pained to see the bright red stripes where the collar had lay against his caramel flesh. But he didn't even have enough power to lesson those wounds yet. Aisoku swallowed and noticed a shadowed figure walking towards them through the rubble. "Dark?" Krad stood up and let Aisoku go to embrace his other self. But as Aisoku came closer Dark's wings flared up and back- he couldn't tell exactly where his son was. Hell, he could barely see him. "Hold up for a second!" He managed and put a hand out and Aisoku paused in confusion as he saw the look on the thief's face. If he didn't know better he'd almost say the phantom looked scared.

"Dark? What's wrong?"

A snippet of their last conversation flicked across Krad's mind- _**Because I can't fuckin' see- **_and his heart jumped into his chest. How bad was it?

Krad thought it had only been temporary, a side effect of being hit so hard on the head, twice. He made his way over to the thief too. Aisoku took a few careful steps forward and let Dark's hand rest against his chest so the phantom could at the very least feel where he was.

"Are you okay?" Something was different about his left eye. Aisoku reached up to touch his cheek and the moment his fingers made contact with Dark's skin he flinched again and threw his head back."I'm fine! Just don't…just…" He took Aisoku's hands up to his chest and said quietly,

"I can't see all that great right now, okay?" Aisoku's eyebrows drew together.

"Is it going to get better?" Dark's eyes flicked over to Krad before reassuring his son, "Yeah, I think so." and putting one arm over Aisoku's shoulders to bring him into a brief hug. Luckily his eyesight wasn't so bad close up, although he still couldn't see anything from the left eye.

"Huh. You're a bit taller than I remember." He patted the boy's blonde hair and for the first time Aisoku noticed the change in his own appearance.

"What? Oh!" Automatically he drew a line from the top of his head to Dark to see how much he'd grown. He still only came up to the thief's collar.

"Not much, apparently." He said with a sigh and Dark chuckled evilly. "Well you'll probably catch up… eventually. You know, like when you're thirty."

The boy gave him a halfhearted punch in the arm but a grin spread across his face. "You're gonna regret all those snide comments when I do."

Dark snorted and looped his hand into Aisoku's, "C'mon let's go." and he brushed the thin layer of snowflakes that had settled on his hair out of his precious wine-colored locks. "Oi, Krad! Guess I missed the whole fight huh?" Krad ruffled his wings and said stiffly, "Indeed, Dark. You were even less of a help than I thought you would be." He was busy looking down into the empty parking lot, a feeling something akin to dread blooming in his chest. He had hoped that at least on car had been left behind and that perhaps someone had carpooled in the rush to get out of the building but no such luck.

He knew that personally the hour-long flight back to their useless car for shelter was going to be really pushing the envelope as far as his human body went. Even standing was taking some effort and the muscles in his legs spasmed with exhaustion. There was no magic left in him now.

In fact he was even having trouble keeping this form under his control as it kept urging him to return to Kiryu's form and rest. "Well excuse me for getting two severe blows to the head and passing out!" Dark snarled, his lip curling. "As least I got inside the building and was able to get that barrier down, unlike you!" He reached back and scratched his head, too tired to say much more. "So... what was our plan for getting out of here?" Krad brushed aside Dark's surly comments and rubbed his eyes.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Although trying to fly back to the rental would probably be too taxing on these forms." There was an awkward silence between the three of them. After all they had been through to perish in some tiny snowstorm seemed like a ridiculous and humiliating way to end. "Hey." Aisoku pointed down the long lonely stretch of road that led to the building.

"What's that?" Through the snow they could see the warm haze of two yellow headlights. "If it's the coppers I'm out of here." Dark muttered and Krad ventured, "I hardly think their response would be that fast, especially considering everyone who worked here isn't informed of the incident yet." As the vehicle came closer, its black tires streaked with snow and steaming Krad suddenly recognized it.

"That's… isn't that the Hikari's van?"

But even as he said it he knew it was true- there was no way he could mistake that cool, calculating aura as anyone else even before Satoshi got out of the van and gestured for the two of them over. "Oho! So it is!" All three of them opened their wings and landed a few feet away from the van, their wings making the dusty snow flare up into little mini dust devils. Aisoku's landing had been a little sketchy and Dark had let out a rather unmanly giggle, earning him a slightly harder punch form his son and a glare from Krad. "Satoshi sama." Krad said with a nod of his head and banished his wings, letting Rai curl his small fox like self around his shoulders. Dark did the same with Wiz before clambering into the back seats of the car and exclaiming,

"For once I'm actually glad you managed to track us down, Satoshi!"

He promptly spread himself out on the backseat like a lazy cat, "Well goodnight everyone!" and closed his eyes. Krad shook his head but couldn't keep a corner of his mouth from twitching slightly as Aisoku snarled and poked Dark in the ribs, "I have to sleep here too you know! Scoot over."

Dark opened one eye lazily and smirked. "Oh yeah? Make me."

Krad made his way around the hood of the van and sat gently in the leather seat, pulling the door closed against the harsh wind and snow. The flakes of snow in his long blonde hair began to disappear. Behind them he could still hear Dark and Aisoku arguing like two children and he closed the van door for them with a disapproving shake of his head.

Satoshi switched the stick shift into drive and soon they were off down the blindingly white road, Krad holding his hands out in from of the heaters to capture their warmth for himself. Again his body urged him to give up his form for Kiryu's and he gritted his teeth in irritation. He didn't have much longer. He felt like he could sleep for days. "What did you do?" His eyes flicked to the former commander and then back to the road and his hand stroked Rai's fur once. "Rescued Aisoku of course." A pale hand tightened on the steering wheel but as usual he let no emotion override his next clipped sentence.

"With Kiryu, I meant." The blonde noticed the ruckus in the back had gone quiet and turned around to see that the both of them had passed out.

Aisoku was stretched out to one side of Dark, his hand still around the phantom's neck but his head buried in his chest. Dark had one arm around Aisoku's back, no doubt to fling him off. But as Krad watched the other went around Aisoku's head gently, holding it steady against Dark so it wouldn't snap back if the van hit a bump or curve.

And he saw that same faint, smug grin on Dark's face that overtook him whenever he'd just captured another Hikari artifact and stolen it away.

Only this one was somehow warmer…

"I shall let you talk with him." Krad said evenly and surrendered to the pull of his human bodies' needs. His hair shortened back to a soft brown and his eyes lost the feral yellow for a tame blue. Rai crooned and buried his head on the crook of Kiryu's neck. He gave the animal a tired pat and smiled in relief at his father. Satoshi took one hand off the wheel and put it over his son's hand. "I'm glad you're alright."

He put his hand back on the wheel and said quietly, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you more about Krad earlier. But… I thought I would have time."

He gave a small sad smile. "I didn't want you go through what I did." Kiryu moved the familiar from his shoulders to his lap. "Dad, he's… he's different now. I mean, I think that someday he and I will be able to come to an understanding." Krad listened in the back of his mind, doubtful at the boy's words.

"Did he force you to transform?" For the first time since he'd been in Kryu's mind his tamer pulled that same black, cool face as his father and answered calmly, "No. A few of them were strained but that was only because the both of us were in such a hurry."

Through Kiryu's eyes Krad gauged Satoshi's reaction. There- an almost unperceivable tightening and relaxing of his eyes.

He knew that Kiryu was lying and was slightly confused as to why his son would defend the White Wings. Krad was even more so.

"I see." However, he could feel that Kiryu couldn't interpret Satoshi's emotions as well as he and thought his father had swallowed the lie. Satoshi glanced up into the rearview mirror. "It looks like those two have finally settled down." Kiryu glanced back again and felt a rush of emotion from Krad which the blonde quickly suppressed, but not quite fast enough. It certainly wasn't the kind of emotion Kiryu was expecting from the ice-cold angel.

_Aww… _Krad flinched in the back of his mind and crossed his arms.

_What. _ His tone was as cool and velvet as ever, betraying nothing.

_Oh nothing. _He chuckled and the blonde colored slightly. "Hmm?" Satoshi asked and Kiryu quickly shook his head. "Oh, it's nothing."

He covered a yawn with his mouth and snuggled down next to the window, using the edge of his seat as a pillow. " I think I'm going to sleep too." Satoshi nodded. "When we get back to Japan I'll tell you about him, if you want to know." Rai crawled up from his lap and onto his chest and his big blue eyes blinked twice. "Alright dad. Goodnight." The truth was he didn't want to know any more about the White Wing's past, or what he'd done to his father.

He just wished there was a way could give Krad his own body to do whatever he wanted with it. Although... setting Krad loose in Azumano...

_… a kind but useless thought. _He heard his other self say. _It cannot be done. _

_You're depressing sometimes, you know that? _Kiryu answered. _Things change. Before you and Dark thought that having a son was impossible, and now he's asleep in the backseat. _There was a silence from Krad and after a few moments he murmured, _You should get some sleep master. This body is beyond weary. _He felt his tamer grin a little.

_ If you change the subject does it mean I'm right? _

Krad glared and ran a hand through his hair. _No, it means that if you don't go to sleep I will force you to sleep before this body breaks down completely! _

He finished the sentence by imagining up a luscious golden four-poster bed in Kiryu's mind and collapsing down on top of it, his wings splaying out lazily on either side. He didn't even bother changing his outfit.

_My poor, tired, grumpy little Kraddykins. _Kiryu laughed before slipping into sleep and Krad covered his face in his hands.

Where in seven hells had Kiryu picked up-? Oh.

_Oh. _

He knew connecting his mind to the phantom thief's had been a risky idea but he certainly hadn't imagined Kiryu would use that connection to pick up all of Dark's embarrassing nicknames for himself.

He crossed his arm underneath his head, unconsciously imitating the way Dark slept and closed his eyes, the golden light from the sheets catching on his white eyelashes.


	17. Chapter 17

Au chap 17

Dark, Krad and Aisoku slept straight until Satoshi finally pulled in front of the hotel, his only stops being for gas, a restroom break and to retrieve the tamer's luggage from the ruined rental car. Satoshi shook Kiryu awake who in turn woke up Kyo and Aisoku with a few gentle shakes. Somehow Satoshi and his son managed to get all four of them upstairs in their zombie-like state. Once there however they noticed a problem. There were only two beds.

Kyo rubbed his eyes and a flash of sleepy purple swept across them. "Well how about we pair up then?" As if on cue Aisoku stumbled slightly and had to lean on Kyo's left shoulder for support. "Sorry. Sorry…"

"Guess I'll take him. Just don't slap me with your wings or something okay?" Aisoku nodded and lifted the covers, not even bothering to take off his damp shoes. Once he'd slid into bed and covered his head Satoshi murmured, "I should have a look at that shoulder before you fall back to sleep."He motioned Kiryu over too. Kyo reluctantly showed Satoshi the wound on his back and right shoulder, wincing at even his light touch. The man adjusted his glasses matter-of-factly. "I see. Interesting. I've never seen Krad use that kind of bandaging on anyone but himself."

Satoshi laid his hand flat against what looked like gold spun into cloth and fed it a bit of his own magic which quickly synched with Krad's and tightened the bandages slightly. "Nn." Abruptly purple swallowed the red in Kyo's eyes and Dark murmured, "Why do you still have magic if you're no longer a tamer, Hikari?" Satoshi's cool blue eyes stared into exotic purple calmly.

"I'm not entirely sure myself. But the connection I had to Krad is relatively the same, even after no longer being his tamer. Perhaps you should ask him." Dark gave a little snort and red appeared in Kyo's eyes. Satoshi addressed the little redhead,"I'd imagine you'll be fine in a day or two. Just don't sleep on this shoulder tonight." Kyo nodded and pulled his shirt down, untying his shoes before taking his place next to Aisoku and turning out the light on the nightstand next to him. "Alright, now you." Satoshi said, looking very tired. He examined the puncture wounds around his son's waist with interest and grabbed the first-aid kit he'd received from the hotel staff.

"What happened here?"

Kiryu looked down at his wounds with confusion and Krad lent him a bit of his memory. "Dark summoned this… hellhound thing." Satoshi sanitized and wrapped the wounds carefully and eased him down into the bed. "There. Now go to sleep, okay?" He put a hand on the boy's forehead and brushed away a few wayward brown locks. "I have to call your mother as well as the Niwa's. They'll want to know that everyone is alright." _More or less. _His son nodded and added with his eyes lidded, "It's been a long time since we've slept in the same bed huh?" Satoshi, who had picked up the telephone on the nightstand, put it back in the receiver with a soft smile. "Yes indeed." He put an arm around his son's shoulders and pulled him close, placing Kiryu's head underneath his own chin.

Kiryu closed his eyes. "Dad… I um, I did see a few of Krad's memories. Why did the Hikari's do… really horrible things to him? I don't understand."

The Hikari looked down at him, then out to the snow slowly falling in the darkness outside the window.

"Because they were afraid of him I suppose. If people don't understand it, and are afraid of it they will usually destroy it. And also… also because he's almost the perfect human, like Dark. They probably became filled with jealousy for his power, his immortality, and his appearance. Not that any Hikari would ever admit it, of course."

He went quiet for a few seconds as he enjoyed holding his son in his arms and wondered if Krad was listening, deep in the recesses of Kiryu's mind.

He felt Kiryu's breathing change into a slow and even rhythm and realized his son had fallen asleep. He reached over and turned off the last light on the other nightstand- the call could wait until morning. "He is a beautiful and terrible creature. And I wonder… how many hundreds of generations it will take to truly 'tame' him." He chuckled and eased down into the pillows. _Though, I sincerely doubt that day will ever come_.

In a few moments Satoshi was asleep himself, his body half-curled around his son's. Kiryu's body sat up slowly and he opened golden, feline eyes. They searched across Satoshi's face. He could see the slight shadows of wrinkles near his eyes, his forehead, and his neck. Krad didn't bother changing into his own form- it was too much trouble. He just sat in his tamer's body contemplating Satoshi's words and quite frankly enjoying the weight of Satoshi's arm across his shoulders. He felt a foreign pang of sadness as he realized that Satoshi would soon disappear from his atrociously long existence.

It was a strange feeling. Like he was going to lose a part of himself. _I think out of all the Hikari's… you came the closest… master. _And since Satoshi was unconscious Krad decided to take full advantage and lay his head down on the blunette's chest, curling his hands up under his chin. _Goodnight. _

* * *

When Kyo woke up the next morning Satoshi was in the shower and everyone else was still asleep. He stretched and yawned, rubbing his eyes and trying to get his mass of bright red hair out of the bird's nest tangle it had become. As he reached for the brush on the nightstand he fell onto the floor with a dull clunk. "Aow."

_**Hey Kyo. **_He heard Dark inside his head, just as sleepy but undoubtedly more put-together and graceful. There was a hint of amusement in his voice as well but Kyo decided to ignore it. For now.

_**Mornin' Dark. Whadya want this time? **_ He heard Dark chuckle as he raked viciously at his hair, tears welling in his eyes. How was it that the thief was able to fly through a freaking snowstorm and come out with perfect hair, while even one night of good sleep caused his to become hopelessly tangled?

It didn't make sense. _**Nice hair kid. It suits you. I wanna play a little trick on Krad. Hand me the controls for a minute willya?**_

Kyo groaned but Dark could feel his curiosity. _**Oh yeah? What kind of trick? **_Again that chuckle and with it, rubbing of the hands in an evil manner. _**You'll see. **_Kyo rolled it over in his mind for a moment. On one hand he really didn't want to give up control again so soon in case Dark thought he could just do whatever he wanted, all the time. On the other hand of course, he had some of the best tricks up his sleeves Kyo had ever seen, and Krad certainly seemed like the kind of person who needed a little … entertainment every once in a while. _**Alright I'll give you ten minutes alright? Ten minutes only. **_He ran his teeth along his braces decisively.

_**Yes sir. **_Dark saluted him merrily and let the transformation take over. Once Kyo's body had settled he ran the brush through his own hair a few times, not because it needed it but because it gave the locks a nice, feathery shine. It looked light the eyesight in his right eye was back to normal. His left eye however, was still black. _**Now if only I could get rid of these stupid braces… Maybe I'll get ahold of some pliers when we get back and do it myself… **_

Kyo squeaked out, _**Wha..what? **_and Dark snorted. _**I'm kidding. **_He straightened Kyo's red and orange-striped pajamas and went over to where Kiryu was sleeping. "Hey Kraaaaaddd…" He combined the seductive whisper with a long poke to the boy's arm and waited. Kiryu's eye fluttered open and soft honey-colored golden showed briefly.

"Hnn…" He pulled away from Dark's touch and muttered, "I'd give you the message but I'm afraid I'd get pregnant." then pulled the covers over his head and rolled over. Dark stared. And stared and stared until finally his brain finished processing and fell down between the two beds laughing so hard he had to hold his ribs to keep them from cracking apart, his legs twitching spastically. Aisoku scooted over to the edge of his mattress and watched his father writhing on the floor and waited until the laughter had died down enough to ask, "Uh- what are you laughing about?" Seeing Aisoku only made it worse. "Pahaahaha! Oh my God… oh, oh mercy please… oh shit ahah…" The noise had woken Kiryu up too and since Krad was assuming that Dark was laughing about something to do with himself he came to the forefront, his eyes flashing. "I _hardly_ see what is so amusing that it needs to wake up all of us from our slumber, thief." Dark's face was red, his usually immaculate hair mussed and tears leaked out of the corner of his eyes.

"I'll tell you when you're older." He said to Aisoku, then straightened himself up next to Krad and whispered something in his ear. Krad's face turned into a mix of shock, embarrassment and horror that Aisoku had never quite seen before.

"I- I said that? You must be mistaken." Krad crossed his arms and lifted his chin but the blush on his face told Aisoku he did believe Dark… a little.

"Aw c'mon Dark!" He whined, slowly sliding out of bed and pulling his pajama shirt down, which had ridden up on his belly while he was asleep. Actually it wasn't his- he'd borrowed it from Kiryu and the dark blue made his coloring stand out oddly. Dark shook his head and put a finger to his lips, his eyes glittering. "Adults only Aisoku. Sorry." Just then Satoshi emerged from the shower with a towel wrapped around his head and his pajamas slightly steamed. He blinked at the three of them. "Good God did you three just get up?" He checked his watch.

"You know that they're closing breakfast in ten minutes don't you?" Dark put both hands on the side of his head. "Why the hell didn't you tell any of us that earlier!" He stormed past the Hikari and out the door, not even bothering to grab a room key in his haste. Aisoku and Krad were right behind him, Krad's left hand snatching up the room key on the table before the door slammed shut. Satoshi sighed and sat down at the foot of the bed, slipping on black socks and picking up the phone. "Kids these days…" Once all three of them had arrived at the breakfast bar, chaos ensued.

Dark attacked the cereal section while Aisoku and Krad went for the bagels and pancakes, then vice versa until they had stripped the setting of all major food, leaving only yogurt, milk and eggs behind. As they were accomplishing their mission Aisoku noticed a girl in the corner kept her eyes on him, while most of the other women's gazes were on Dark. It was a little unnerving. They scrambled back up to their room, Dark giving Krad a playful shove along the way and receiving a pancake to the face as punishment. Krad swiped the card and held the door open for them until they could get the massive amount of heavily weighted plates into the room. Once they had he shut the door with his foot and set his own plate next to Aiskou's, who was already tucking into his toast and jam.

"Ah man I'm starving!" Dark exclaimed just before wolfing down what should have been a ham and eggs serving for four people, scarcely taking a breath before diving into his cereal next. Aisoku paused and watched him with a mix of fascination and disgust.

"Um, dad… shouldn't you slow down a bit…?" Dark swallowed and coughed for a few seconds.

"Can't. You jealous?" Aisoku snorted through his nose, "Psh, no. I could beat you in a food eating contest any day." Dark raised his eyebrows and set down his utensils. "Oho! Do I detect a challenge from my little protégée?" Krad interrupted, now in his own form, "You do know that's a bad idea right? Aisoku probably wasn't fed much at that …facility." His son touched his neck gingerly. "Yeah, not much…" He added with a little spark in his eye, "Until next time, then." and saluted Dark with his knife. Dark huffed, "Fine. You'd better be up for the challenge, shortie." He reached over and ruffled the boy's blonde hair, his eyes on the wounds lacing Aisoku's neck. "We'll fix those up once we get some juice back okay."

Satoshi, now fully dressed interjected, "Here, let me take a look." After a moment a soft blue light, a different shade from Aisoku's emanated from the Hikari's hand and the angry red marks on Aisoku' neck faded almost completely. He wrapped a hand around his neck and breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh. Thank you." and turned back to his two parents. Satoshi gave Krad a look that clearly said _you'd better change back soon. _ and tapped his watch before going to back his things. Aisoku asked just before taking a swig of milk.

"Oh, and I meant to ask- how come that once girl kept eyeing me in the breakfast bar?"

Krad opened his mouth but somehow Dark interjected, "'Cause she thought you were sexy."

Aisoku choked on his milk and his face went red. "W-what?"

Krad shook his head and decided to finish his pancakes, drowning them in syrup when the thief wasn't looking. Who knew what he would do if he found out Krad had a sweet tooth. Aisoku finally managed to breathe again and Dark continued, "You can't mistake that look. Seen it a hundred times. Those flashing eyes, those flushed cheeks, those trembling lips…" He reached across the table and put a hand under Aisoku's chin, turning it gently to the right and then to the left. "Yep, I don't blame her. Yer gonna be quite a looker in a few years or so. A ladykiller, I'd even dare say." As he leaned back to enjoy some bacon Krad commented smoothly, "Though I'm sure Aisoku will hold more respect for women than you, mousy." Dark raised his eyebrows.

"I have plenty of respect for women! It's why I try so hard to give them all time in my company." He grinned and ended the sentence by taking a long satisfied glug of orange juice. "How come you call him that?" Aisoku asked Krad curiously.

"Hmm? Oh… I suppose it's because I'm always chasing him. You know, like a game of cat and mouse. That one just happened to stick."

Wiz, who had still been sleeping crawled up into Dark's lap and he stroked the soft white fur. Dark finally put his utensils down and leaned back, putting his feet up on the edge of the table. "Aah. I feel so much better." Krad pushed Dark's feet off the table in one clean swipe. Dark raised an eyebrow and put them back, grinning that wolf grin. Aisoku watched the exchange and as Krad swiped Dark's feet off a second time couldn't help but say,

"You know, you two seem like … you used to be worst enemies."

Dark blinked and Krad said softly, "Well, more or less. But things changed between us once you came." Aisoku blushed slightly. "Oh…"

Krad leaned over and kissed the top of Aisoku's head, his warm breath moving the silky blonde hair. "You are very precious to us. You always will be."

His blush deepened and he gave Krad a playful shove, "Alright, no need to get all lovey-dovey about it." and Krad's eyes softened until they resembled the finest golden wool. "Very well then. But you must allow me to lavish affection on you soon, in light of the fact you are my only son." Aisoku smiled happily. "Alright."Satoshi tapped on the table. "I don't mean to break up the reunion, but we do have a plane to catch. Please pack up your things, everyone."

All three of themchanged out of their pajamas and soon enough they were on the plane back to Japan. Kyo had the window seat, with Aisoku beside him and Kiryu and Satoshi just across the hallway. "Dammit, I wish I'd brought spare batteries for this thing." He snapped the lid of his cd player shut.

"Can I see that for a minute?" Aisoku asked politely.

"Hmm? Of course. I already tried the old put in the batteries in different spots trick though. I think it's-"

"Here." Kyo looked down and did a double-take at the now full battery of his red cd player. "Hey- that's a neat trick- how did you do that?" Aisoku flexed his own fingers. "Not sure exactly. Just wanted to try it." In fact, he'd almost broken the Niwa's cd player. A tiny bit more of his power and it probably short-circuited. Or exploded- Aisoku wasn't entirely sure which. He took a sip of apple juice and leaned forward to look out the window. "Do you think we'd be able to fly that high and still be able to breathe?" Kyo paused for a moment and looked at the vast ocean underneath them, white caps forming from the strong wind. "Dark says it'd be a stretch for him at this height. He says you could probably do it no problem though."

"He thinks so huh." A small smile crossed his face. "I'm looking forward to all the time I have to spend… with both of them." His smile turned into a grimace of dread as he continued, "Emiko's going to be so mad at me. She's probably going to put me in 'special' training for months." Kyo put a hand on his shoulder. "It won't be so bad. What kind of obstacle course does she usually have set up?" Aisoku rattled off the usual sets and Kyo blinked.

"Woah- she uses a Debac Z-7? Even I still have trouble with that one. How do you get back the third set of sensors?" Aisoku put a hand on his chin. "I'll tell you if you tell me how to get past those crocodiles she sets out." Kyo put a hand on the side of his face.

"Croc-…oh, right. Dark still remembers that. Good times." _**Actually, it wasn't. **_The thief thought to himself. "Right, so, the first thing you have to do is…"

Krad listened through Kiryu at the two thieves' chatter, storing away what he thought was useful and spending the rest of the time trying to figure out what else Kiryu had picked up from Dark's mind. He wasn't having much luck. _What are you sneaking around here for, Krad? _The blonde startled a bit as his tamer addressed him directly. Kiryu brought a finger to his temple and tapped it with amusement. _Not worried are we? _Krad drew back and collected himself, forcing his ruffled feathers to relax.

_Of course not. Silly human. As if you could worry me. _The only thing that had caught his attention was the fact Kiryu was suddenly much better at sensing and keeping Krad out of his mind.

_So what else did you manage to snag from the thief's mind? You seem to have the makings of a decent thief yourself. _Kiryu covered his mouth to hide his smile from his father and said mysteriously, _You'll see. _For the first time Krad felt a slight tremor of apprehension at the boy's words. But he ignored it and retired to a corner of Kiryu's mind, sulking. The chatter of the two boys washed over his mind and he fell into a deep sleep.

A few hours later the plane landed and the four of them crawled into the van, Aisoku falling asleep again almost as soon as he'd clambered into the front passenger's seat. Kyo let Dark take his form for the simple fact that he was being irritatingly chatty. "And so then she said- she said to me, me! Can you believe that? Of course you can't. She goes-" As he chatted his fingers tapped on the armrest and his leg vibrated with nervous energy, ready for his next heist. He'd managed to get a hold of Kiryu's longest black jeans, t-shirt and a silver-fur trimmed jacket that fit quite nicely across his pectorals.

He kept it half-zipped, partly for keeping his temperature cool and partly in case a fine Japanese woman happened to recognize him.

Since Dark wasn't talking directly to Kiryu he'd managed to transform into Krad a full five minutes ago and so far, the thief still hadn't noticed.

Krad stroked his long sumptuous hair and let his other half talk away for a few more moments before interrupting, "As much as I enjoy hearing the melodious lilts and dips of your voice, my dear other half, I feel that we should talk about something else…" He leaned in towards Dark and the thief leaned back until he couldn't anymore, thoroughly confused at the blonde's sudden change in attitude.

"Uh- Krad?" Krad's full pink lips parted into a smile, his golden eyes like the most precious polished jewels, and his long white eyelashes fluttered seductively. His long pale hand settled on the thief's tan cheek and stroked across his skin. Krad's long silky hair trailed down Dark's torso and tickled the side of his neck. Underneath the disgust and growing terror Dark also felt a slight squirm in his gut- Krad's damn femininity was what was making him the most uncomfortable.

"Dammit Krad!" Krad's grip tightened on his chin and Dark felt a very wet warm tongue draw a thick line up the side of his face.

Hot breath fanned across the thief's face as Krad purred, "Say my name again."

"SEXUAL HARASSMENT!" Dark shoved Krad to the other side of the van with a curse and summoned up two feathers between his fingers, making the sign of a cross. He complemented this with a belt of curses and wiped Krad's saliva off his face. "What the hell is wrong with you!" As he continued berating the blonde though, Krad broke out in very un-Krad-like laughter and transformed back into Kiryu smoothly, still holding his sides.

"Oho man did you see the look on your face! Priceless!"

Dark grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and shook him, "So you're the one behind that you sneaky little bastard! How dare you use Krad's form to taunt me like-…" He stopped shaking the boy and admitted, "Although, it was a pretty good joke I suppose. But that does not by any means excuse you from punishment." He raised one finely arched purple eyebrow. "Out of curiosity, where did you learn that ol' trick?" Kiryu pointed a finger at the thief and grinned, "Learned from the best. You'd be amazed what you can pick up in fifteen minutes in your mind, Dark."

The phantom let out a rather girlish squeak of surprise and dropped Kiryu's collar. " Wha-what!" Then he grabbed the boy's collar up again.

"Tell me what you know! You better not have tapped into those memories of that time in that one brothel where-!"

Kiryu laughed evilly and put a fist in the air, "Especially that one brothel that one- wait, what?" he lowered the fist slowly and stared at Dark.

"What?"

Dark flicked a finger across his nose. "Gotcha."

When they arrived back they decided to drop off Aisoku first. Emiko and Kosuke were waiting outside, his arm around her shoulders. She was wearing her usual pastel skirt and white tee. Aisoku barely was able to make it until the car had fully stopped. He unclipped his seatbelt and threw the van door open, running and throwing himself into Emiko's arms, his wings itching to be free. But the feathers hadn't grown back on them all the way yet and he didn't want to worry her. Without a doubt she'd already had been worrying enough. She looked grayer than he'd remembered- he could tell even though she dyed because the grey parts were darker red.

"Aisoku! Oh thank god you're alright, my dearest boy!" Aisoku put his arms around her gingerly and winced a little. "Emiko... I can't breathe…"

She petted his hair, ran her hands over his face and paused at his neck. "Aisoku, what happened to your neck?" He looked down and put his hand over hers, gently drawing her hand away. " I'll tell you later. I just want to say goodbye to Dark and Krad first." She gave a tired little sigh and smiled at Dark. "Well, alright."Her gaze went to Kiryu who was still in the van. "Not too long though." She and Kosuke turned and went back into their home.

He felt Dark's heavy hand on his shoulder and his grip tightened and loosened. "Well, we'd better go kiddo. I'm sure Dai and Riku are missing Kyo just as much." Aisoku turned around just as Krad slid elegantly from the car and stood by his other half. Dark shot Krad one of the strangest looks Aisoku had ever seen on the thief's face and one dark gold eyebrow arched. "What? What's that look for?"Krad demanded. The corners of Dark's mouth turned down in a slight grimace. "I'll… tell you later…" Aisoku turned around and put his arms around Dark in a hug.

"I guess this is goodbye then." The thief put his arms around Aisoku too, "Hmm, for now." He nuzzled Aisoku's blonde hair and within his arms the boy could feel power-it was like being hugged by a well-behaved cougar. He wondered if he'd inherit that same eased out of the embrace and suddenly out of nowhere the two of their minds connected, just enough for Aisoku to catch a single strand of Dark's thoughts.

_**Try not to get yourself kidnapped again until blondie and I are all healed up for god's sakes. Little troublemaker… **_

Aisoku blinked in surprise. It was quite a shock to finally hear the thief's voice in his head but so far Dark didn't seem like he'd noticed.

The boy put his hands on his hips in a very Dark-like manner.

"Well excuse me for being a troublemaker- I did spring from the loins of one of the best in Azumano." Dark flushed as Aisoku laughed and Krad brought a gloved hand over his mouth to hide his own laughter. "Tha-that is not what happened!" Aisoku felt the brief connection to Dark snap closed but kept the smile on his face- he didn't want to worry them and somehow knew that that was the most connection he'd ever get with the black-winged phantom. And that was alright. As it was his mind was a bit crowded already, with Krad popping in and out and the Black Wings now contently asleep in the back of his mind as his 'other self'. It was a little unsettling actually feeling the artworks presence in his chest… He startled a little as he felt arms around his shoulders but relaxed as Krad murmured, "You looked deep in thought. Is everything alright?" He leaned back into the angel a bit, sincerely sorry that they were being parted again. "Yeah…" It felt like the time he'd spent with his two real parents had gone by so fast.

"We should all go out flying sometime soon. Just the three of us- at night, so no one can see us."

Dark straightened up a little, "Sounds like a good idea to me!" and Wiz crawled up onto his shoulder with a soft, "Kyuu." Krad's long hair tickled the back of Aisoku's neck and his sharp lemon smell surrounded him. "It sounds like a wonderful idea." Aisoku was embarrassed to find he was getting a little choked up at them leaving again. He'd have to wrap this up quickly.

Krad could sense the change in Aisoku's mood and gave the boy a friendly squeeze, pairing it with, _There now. You know that I will never be more than a moment's thought away, if you are the one calling. _

_I know. _

He pulled himself together and stepped towards the doorway, back to the way things were before.

"Alright then, goodbye, dad… and dad. Thank you both for coming to…" His eyes became bloodshot.

"He kept saying you wouldn't come, you know. That scientist. But I… I knew you would."His last sentence was barely above a whisper. The two halves shot each other a look and Dark murmured, "Aisoku…" But Aisoku closed the door and managed to get into Emiko's arms before losing it completely.

* * *

Lady Fai- Yep, definetely a few more effects from the mind merge than Krad would like. ^^

FF19- I already answered your review for the last chappie, so there! Hmph. XD

IntelligentFerretFreak- Yep, thats why I wrote it. He's a funny guy, that blonde. And... I think Dark will still manage fine. ^^


	18. Chapter 18

Rakki-lucky

Nonki-optimistic

It was just warm enough to stay outside, yet cold enough that the coming chill of winter brought goose bumps out on Krad's ivory flesh. He sat perched on the rim of the highest building in Azumano with his wings half-folded, watching the sun rise. His artist's heart twinged at the varied shades of orange, red and purple mirrored in the calm waters of the bay. At least he'd paid Kiryu back for imitating his body like that and taunting the thief. _And how… _He thought with a chuckle and his tamer shuddered within him. His mind flitted to a slightly different topic. Kiryu's love was finally beginning to come to fruition and Krad knew he had precious few moments left before going into the sleep between tamers. It was one of the reasons why Kiryu had lent him his body so willingly.

He adjusted the sleeves to their largest size on Kiryu's longest jacket. _The real curse here is the perpetually too-small clothing. _

He thought and flexed his velvet gloves, adjusting his boots' grip on the slick roof. He remembered when this used to be the light house- and the church after that. Strange how everything changed and still… somehow remained the same. _Oh well. _The sound of wings behind him alerted him to the thief's presence. He turned to greet him and blinked at the still-empty rooftop.

The only explanation was that strangely fat crow poking its sharp beak into the gutters for food. Krad opened his own wing and knocked the creature off with a single stroke and an irritated snort.

It squawked angrily and took off and Krad suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and a cocky voice point out, "Well that wasn't very nice was it?" Dark plopped himself down next to his counterpart and stretched his long leather-clad legs with a contented sigh.

"I'm not a very nice person." Krad's wings shuffled and settled against his back mildly. "So when is he supposed to get here?" Dark asked nonchalantly and the blonde grinned faintly. "Don't get your cowhide panties in a knot- he'll be here in about a minute." Dark nearly choked on his own spit. "W-Excuse me! You know nothing of my undergarments and I intend to keep it that way, bottle-blonde."

"It's natural!" Krad snapped before he could help himself and added, "Well considering how many times we've been forced to sleep together I-" He paused. "Hm. I'm not going to finish that sentence…"

Dark ran a hand through his hair, licked his thumb and forefinger, and ran it along one of his feathers to smooth a split end. "Good idea." He saw Krad turn away from him a bit and face back towards the sunrise. "Yer a sucker for pretty landscapes aren't cha?" Dark nudged Krad's shoulder playfully. "It's the same feeling you get when you set eyes on a particularly valuable gem."

The phantom leaned back and rolled his shoulders slightly. "Speaking of which, you do know I'm still going after the 'Ryuuko, Ryouko' necklace tonight right?" Krad stretched one wing and rolled his eyes, "Yes, Dark. I know you can't stand the thought of a heist without the challenge of a Hikari in the police force behind it." Kiryu had used his father's influence to gain his own post and although he was far from commander the force was already beginning to learn he was really their best bet as far as protecting the items, although sometimes the boy did have an agenda of his own.

The air between the two halves hazed and thickened and suddenly Aisoku was there, his wings back to their normal feathery selves only a bit more blue-tinted than before. The thief had been looking the other way when Aisoku appeared and turned around, "Hey!" his wings puffing out indignantly.

"You-who said you could do that?"Aisoku looked confused and seemed to fiddle with his shirt for a moment before letting his hand fall. "Well, no one, but I've been practicing and-" Krad scooted a bit closer to the boy and put one wing halfway around him, finishing, "And we're glad you are. Aren't we Dark?" His tone suggested that if he wasn't, Dark was going to lose something rather important to him. "Right, right. But are your thieving skills getting any better? That's all I'm worried about." The purple-haired thief grinned and stroked his chin.

Aisoku grinned too and flipped a necklace he'd been hiding underneath his shirt out for all to see. It was slightly rusted silver, half chain and half thick ribbon-like pieces that came down into a metallic circle. Within the circle an emerald dragon and a ruby tiger were locked in what looked like an epic battle. Dark's mouth opened and he gasped before he clapped a hand to the place where the necklace had been hidden in his jacket and blurted,

"The 'Ryuuko, Ryouko'… Why you little…"

The younger boy unclasped the artifact from his neck and handed it to Krad with a quiet, "I think taking this four hours before the time on the note counts as… " He sidled up close to Dark and whispered, "Cheating…"Aisoku noticed to his surprise that Krad didn't put the necklace on- in fact he wrapped it in a handkerchief before putting it in his pocket. _Damn old magic- always flaring up when a Hikari is near. _Krad thought and gritted his teeth underneath his lips, pulling on the mask until the magic died down. _Strange that it didn't affect Aisoku… _The phantom's thief turned wolfish and he slid his arms around Aisoku's narrow waist and pulled him into his lap.

"All's fair in love and thievery my boy. But I suppose it will be more fun to steal the same thing twice." He raised an eyebrow at Krad. "Specially under his supervision."

"Why thank you." Krad flicked Aisoku's wing. "Huh. I'm glad the bat wings are gone."

The boy gave a little nervous laugh. "Well, sort of. He- the Black Wings- has kind of become my other self…" Darks eyes lit up and he started roughing up the boys hair, giving him a thorough noogie. "Ohohoh that's means you got a girl switching you two back and forth right? Who is it eh?"

"No one!"

" Is she pretty?"

Aisoku growled and his wings curled up close to his spine, though he still had a grin on his face. "Get offa me!"

" What's her name?"

"It's none of your business!"

" Ooh I'll bet you go for the exotic types eh?"

"Stop asking me so many questions!"

" She blonde?" Aisoku covered his head with his hands, "And just because she's blonde doesn't mean she's…oops."

Dark shoved Aisoku with a laugh, "I knew it!" and he would have toppled off the edge if Krad hadn't reached out and pulled him backwards.

"Careful!" Krad scolded, smacking Dark upside the back of the head. "Ow! He woulda been fine, mom!" He said with a distinctly childish whine in his voice. "Yeah, I've been getting better at landings…" Aisoku offered up and put his left wing around Dark, his right around Krad, suddenly getting serious.

"You two are leaving again soon aren't you." Dark and Krad looked at each other, then back at Aisoku. "Well Kyo's girl's finally realized she likes him too and … I think it's more or less the same for Kiryu… so yes."Aisoku sighed, "Thought so." And his wings tightened around both of his true parents for a moment, then loosened. "I just… I made sure that we could all get together one more time so I could tell you…" He looked out at what looked the beginning of a beautiful morning, then at the thief and finished, "That I love you two." His gaze switched to his cat-eyed mother figure and a tentative smile crossed his face. "Both of you. And I- I'm really going to miss you…"

Both halves moved at the same time but to Dark's surprise Krad gestured for him to continue with a small nod. The thief put his arm around Aisoku and pulled him close, placing his chin in the part of his soft blonde hair.

"Hey, it's alright. We'll be back soon…" He was truly thankful that Krad let him be the one to comfort his son for the moment. He paused for a second. "I think I got an idea that will cheer you up." Aisoku raised an eyebrow and Krad did the same thing. "Oh yeah? What?"

Dark slowly poked Aisoku in the shoulder and grinned. "Tag. You're it." Then he took off in a flurry of purple-tinted black feathers. He was sincerely glad some of the vision in his left eye had finally come back otherwise flying would be close to impossible. "Ah-hey!" Aisoku automatically stood up and took off after him.

"Get back here!"

"Aisoku!..." Krad sighed and spread his own wings after them. Luckily Dark headed up towards the mountains so they would have less of a chance of being noticed. The fog hadn't cleared yet and the clouds coated Aisoku's wings in condensation, fat droplets of water streaming off the end of his wings as he looped around a tree and caught Dark by surprise, tagging him with his wing.

"Ha! No tag backs!" Dark banked off to the left and flapped twice to gain some air over Krad, then hovered until he saw the distinct white wings underneath him. He kept absolutely silent and dropped out of the sky like a stone, tapping his other half with the tip of one black combat boot between the shoulders. "Tag!"

"Ack!" Krad spun in midair and reached for the thief but he managed to slip past with a hearty laugh. The three of them played the game for so long the sunlight was beginning to break through the fog in thin streaks of golden light. All three of them were panting and just as Dark was going to pounce on a certain unsuspecting hunter Aisoku offered,

"Hey, you two want to take a break for a moment?" before fluttering down to a small fern-infested clearing.

"Yeah, alright." Dark agreed and landed gracefully beside him, his black feathers reflecting the deep greens around them. Krad landed too and unlike Dark's wings, which worked like camouflage in the filtered light, his stood out brighter than ever; glowing ivory.

"Indeed. I am almost a bit tired." His voice held genuine surprise. "Hmm." Aisoku stretched out on the carpet of damp pine needles and ferns with a happy grunt, his wings splayed behind him. He patted the blank spaces next to him. "Don't be proud, there's plenty of room for everyone." Dark made himself at home and though Krad knew that fern stains were very hard to get out of white clothing he did as well. His long hair spread like spilled liquid and he closed his eyes. "I suppose… I should be leaving soon." On the other side of Aisoku his other half agreed but stretched his legs and assured, "Not quite yet though."

Aisoku put his head on Darks chest, took Krad's hand and wrapped his white-sleeved arm around his waist. "Good." All three of them became quiet, listing to the sounds of birds in the trees and the minute buzz of a tiny mass of insects that had found a single ray of sunlight. The smell of dew-soaked earth and the gritty scent of fern surrounded them. Krad's face was resting on the thick limb that was Aisoku's wing and the feathers were tickling his nose but he managed to suppress a sneeze. He'd always been particularly good at ruining moments, but not this time. Aisoku sighed and closed his eyes and Dark's chest jerked as he let out a small chuckle. Without opening his eyes his son clarified, "Don't let that little confession go to your head, Dark- I'm only doing this because I'm tired."

"Mm-hmm. Of course." Dark grinned and patted the boy's head, his own lids beginning to droop. Kyo had stayed up late the night before and he couldn't help himself from wanting to take a nap. Maybe when he got back he could convince Riku to... He yawned and the tip of his pink tongue curled up at the end like a cat's. "By the way we love you too."

"In case you didn't know that beforehand." Krad added and moved his arm from the boy's waist to his shoulder. "I know." Aisoku listened to the slow even beat of the phantom's heart just next to his ear and was surprised at how safe he felt, surrounded by two artworks that could probably level all of Azumano given the right incentive.

Both halves were very quiet for a few minutes when out of the blue Aisoku gave a funny little half-snort. Yellow eyes met purple and a single eyebrow lifted up as Krad asked, _Is he asleep? _Dark pursed his lips in thought, _**Not nice of you to barge in like that you know**. _Krad snorted and Dark kept totally still and waited to see if Aisoku would open his eyes. Instead he tightened his grip on the phantom's deep maroon shirt and pulled the fabric close under his chin, exposing the thief's belly and a slight purple rabbit trail.** _Yep. Definitely asleep_**_. _Krad couldn't help himself from jabbing a finger in the phantom's hip and exclaiming, _Are you… are you purple everywhere? _

He flushed and began sitting up slowly, "And so what if I am? Is that a problem?"

Aisoku's eyebrows drew together and Krad pushed a finger against Dark's lips harshly. "Shush! You'll wake him." Dark mouthed his words mockingly but shut up, steadying the boy in his arms before spreading his wings. Krad stood up as well and unfurled his own pair. _We'll be taking him back then?_ Dark smiled. His arms were still holding the boy more or less the same way they had been when he'd been the size of a meatloaf. _**Of course**. _They made it back to Emiko's rooftop with relative ease and Dark jiggled the lock on his bedroom window open. _Easy as pie. _It was an entrance both he and Krad used often. Krad stayed on the rooftop as Dark lowered the boy into bed and threw the covers over him. Aisoku curled to one side and from around his neck the two-feathered moon necklace flashed in the sunlight. The phantom felt a strong tug at his heart, seeing the boy sleeping so peacefully. For the hell of it he ruffled the boy's hair thoroughly, then sighed and kissed him briefly in the part of his hair. Krad chuckled beside him and the thief startled_.** Don't sneak up on me like that!**_

_I didn't. Seeing you two together … it makes me happy. _Dark caught the look in his eye and held his gaze for a moment before putting an arm briefly around Krad's shoulders and joking, "Now don't be getting all sentimental about it." The blonde put his hand on the mattress. "I've never been good at saying goodbye." Dark wasn't the kind of person who liked reaching out to the blonde, but he'd been around him so long he could tell by the tendons in his neck and redness in his eyes that he was … distraught. He put a hand around his thin, pale wrist and squeezed gently before letting the limb fall back to Krad's side. _**It will be fine. It will be alright**. _Aisoku's eyes began to open and his parents disappeared, Krad unto the light streaming through the window and Dark to the thick shadows in the corner. As Aisoku sat up he saw the replaced cream-colored carpet was littered with soft, thick white feathers and thin, glossy ebony feathers, mixed into each other as they'd been shed carelessly from their owners. He picked up the one closest to him- it happened to be one of Krad's- and ran his thumb over the shaft. It was still warm and a buzz of comforting yellow magic oozed up his arm. _Goodbye…_

* * *

Two decades passed in the blink of an eye. Emiko, Kosuke and Satoshi soon passed from natural causes and Aisoku was raised for a few years by Riku and Daisuke before maturing enough to move out. He stopped aging at what a human would consider forty but internally he still aged every two years. He had arranged a last meeting with Krad and Dark at the place where it was kept- the Black Wings, the painting that once had nearly taken his life. _This is the way it's supposed to be. _Aisoku said when they had asked any questions. _This is where it all started, and this is where it should end. I just… know it. Please trust me. _All three of them were deep in the bowels of the earth with that horridly blank canvas in front of them, chained by the same bolts used for luxury liners. _This place creeps me out. _Rakki, Krad's latest tamer muttered and rubbed his arms. Since the Water Famine both the Niwa and Hikari families had been reduced drastically and were now much the way they had been before- with both tamers having no siblings and a very small extended family. **_Dark? How come that thing seems like it wants to pull us in?_** Dark tried to calm the little Niwa.

**_Rakki, it does. But that ain't gonna happen unless I want it to._** The tamer wasn't sure if the thief was telling him the whole truth or not but he'd only just gotten used to this other person sharing very close quarters with him, so he decided to let it drop. Besides, Dark sounded confident enough.

**_Oh and by the way… _**The phantom continued casually,** _I'm gonna put you to sleep for a little bit while I say goodbye to him, okay? _**

Rakki's ruby eyes widened and then narrowed. **_Why? I.. oh. Um, okay_… _Just wake me up soon okay? _**Dark nodded and sent the boy off into dreamland, then went to go join his other half. Krad was of course right at Aisoku's side wearing his tamer's clothing. He was put together of course, his face not betraying his emotions, but naturally Aisoku could read his poker face like an open book. Surprisingly, Aisoku was smiling. "It's so strange to see you two so young. I guess you really are immortal huh?" He reached up and touched Krad's face and the white wings put his hand over his son's, his yellow eyes seeming to burn in the dim light. "This way you will not forget my face." Aisoku let out a dim laugh and removed his hand. "Even if you were in a different body entirely I'd remember you."

"Aisoku-" Krad suddenly gathered the man into his arms. "Please." _Don't do this. The Black Wings is evil. It has taken you once before, and I… I don't want to lose you again. _It pained Krad to see the mature, sad smile on his son's face. To see how much he grown and that fierce determination in his eyes. Dark's eyes. _Dad, either way I have to go…_ As he said it he began to cough and brought a hand up across his mouth until the throaty hacking finally stopped. With a kind of grimace he briefly opened his palm enough for Krad to see a fine spray of ruby blood on his deeply tanned skin. He wiped it on his dark jeans and continued inside Krad's mind. _… and this way, I'll be able to help you and Dark. _His eyes flicked over to the thief and he knew that Dark could tell they were having a conversation and was deciding to stay out of it for the moment. _You don't know that. You don't know what is going to happen. _

Aisoku pulled him close and it was strange to feel his now wide shoulders. He was easily as tall as Krad and even a few inches taller than Dark, although a bit stooped. His clothes were faded and warm and Krad held him tightly, but not so much as to hurt him. Beneath his forty-year exterior he could sense halting frailty. _I don't. But… _He ran a few fingers through Krad's ponytail and his distinct familiar smell entered Krad's nose.

At a time like this Krad expected to see memories of Aisoku's life flashing through his mind, his ascent into adulthood.

But all that as coming to mind was the sensation of Aisoku growing in his body, his heaviness, his strong startling movements. Back then, the thought of his child passing away hadn't even crossed his mind. Back then, each breath he drew, each beat of his heart brought the being before him one step closer to living.

But what did it mean now? _Nothing. Without him it means nothing. _His teeth were gritted so tightly under his lips they ached. His son's voice brought him back to the present. _Ah, you have the most beautiful hair. Please don't ever cut it._

"Of course." Aisoku patted Krad on the back twice before slipping out of their hug and turning to Dark. "You want a hug too you dirty thief?" He said with a twinkle in his eye. "Well I think it's only fair to give us both equal treatment, considering you two have been whispering sweet nothing's in each other's minds for the last half hour." He pouted and tossed his head to one side.

"Awe, so sensitive…" Aisoku cuddled up to him too, giving his lithe seventeen-year old body a squeeze. "Remember those few years when I was the same age as both of you?" Dark nodded with an odd look on his face. "Weirdest few years of my life, let me tell you." Dark ruffled the man's hair and sighed shakily, leaning in and whispering in his ear, "I've never said it, but you do understand… you're my greatest treasure."** _I love you. I've always loved you, from the first moment I held you in my arms. I don't know how I'll be able to make it without you. I don't know how either of us will._ Dark was getting choked up himself. His eyes showed red veins and his throat had closed up so tightly he didn't know if he could speak. **

**"**If this doesn't end our curses… if it doesn't change anything…I'll kill you when I get up there." He threatened jokingly, unable to say anything of serious nature. Aisoku nodded and took a step towards the blank canvas and a sudden wind picked up in the cavernous space.

"Wait!" Krad's voice ripped across the space like a verbal whip and stopped his son in his tracks.

"Dad?" He swallowed and looked down at his tamer's shoes, his hands tightening. "I…" He couldn't speak, because if he did he knew he'd lose it entirely. Even now he could feel the hot tears in his eyes threatening to spill over. His voice was a harsh rasp. "Aisoku…"

The man suddenly touched his shirt. "I almost forgot…here."

He took off the necklace he'd been wearing his entire life and placed it in Krad's hands, the metal still warm from being against his skin. His gaze went to the thief. "Thank you for making it for me. It brought me a lot of comfort." Dark managed a genuine smile- he didn't want Aisoku's last impression of him to be fake. "I did a pretty good job, huh. For a Niwa." He took a few steps until he was directly in front of the canvas and laid his hand against the dry, stretched material. It was warm- it sort of felt like it shuddered under his touch like an animal. "You two… were the best parents a kid like me could ever hope for." He felt a bit of fear but anticipation too- he was at the point where he wanted to see what lay beyond.

"Well, until next time then."

And with a ripple of blank white in a shadowed room, he was gone. Krad dropped to his knees, his eyes flicked upwards and before he knew it he was following him, up and up at a dizzying speed until nothing but quiet white surrounded them.

He saw Aisoku ahead of him, still looking the same but transparent now and not facing him but something beyond- he squinted and suddenly something very real rushed at him in a flurry of white feathers.

Before he knew it the point of a brilliantly glossy spear was at his throat and two sea-blue eyes were staring at him. The creatures wings were splayed up and out and far more brilliant than his could ever be- scarlet at the ends and a blazing orange-yellow that faded to white halfway through. Its garments were nondescript and its face strangely androgynous, but beautiful.

_Go back. _It did not move its lips but the voice in his mind was his long-lost lover, Elizabeth. Soft but dark, like tinted glass.

_My dear, you're body will die._ His eyes flicked towards Aisoku once more … and he saw that from his back his two profuse silver wings were spreading. The tip of the spear moved and the angel used the rod to push him once in the chest, downward. _Go._ From below he heard a voice calling his name. He was falling again- oh if spirits could be sick the sky would be painted with vomit by now- and he smacked down into his body so hard it jerked. Someone was yelling. Krad groaned and made a move to cover his ears, opening one eye. He was on the floor and Dark had his head in his hands. He was surprised to see streaks of tears down Dark's face-or at least he thought he did- the thief wiped a sleeve across his eyes and tightened his grip on his other half's head.

"You… goddamn…" He raised a fist but lowered it, too mentally spent to exert himself physically.

"Don't. Ever do that again." He lifted Krad's torso up to himself and curled the blonde head under his own chin.

"I already lost him, and you… you're not allowed to go anywhere." Krad was too shocked to do anything but let himself be held- and he could almost admit that he was drawing some comfort from the embrace. _Our baby… _The blonde grasped the thief's shirt and made a fist, pulling the fabric tight against his mirror's body.

"I'm sorry. I just…" Dark's head snapped up as the wind began to pick up in the tiny space. "What's going on?"

Krad's eyes narrowed. The canvas was shaking and he could sense its power becoming whole. But at the same time, it also seemed to be breaking apart- he could see the beginnings of a tear far up on the edge. "I thought since he's a combination of our powers this would make it complete but…" _Left unfinished, it will always be unfinished. _Satoshi's words suddenly popped into his mind. _But… if given enough power it may turn everything right again. _Krad didn't know what 'turning everything right' would entail. He didn't want to be separated from his other half, or joined with him- he wished to remain as he was. But just as that thought passed through his mind he felt a horrible tearing feeling and realized he was being drawn from his tamer's body.

"Dark!" The thief was obviously experiencing the same thing- his face was drawn and pale, and even as the two halves resisted there was a roar of magic and a flash of bright light, so bright it went straight through their eyelids.

And then everything was quiet again.

The canvas crumbled to the floor, the chains loosening and clattering, now free of their burden. An unconscious Niwa and Hikari sat in the same spot as their other selves had been moments before. Luckily they were far enough away that nothing fell onto them and their bodies were allowed to recover from the sudden, unexplained absence of a certain sequence of DNA that allowed for the two angels to exist. Slowly, their bodies drew the gap together and mended it as if it had never existed. As if they had never existed.

What must have been hours later Rakki pulled himself up into a sitting position, holding his head with his mouth drawn into a tight wince. "Ah, man…aoooww…" His head felt like it had exploded and then been glued back together by a class of three-year olds. He began to poke around and see if his other self was alright. _So much for waking me up, you jerk. _That was weird- even when Dark was sulking Rakki could still sense him, curled up with his arms crossed in a corner.

He didn't… he didn't really feel anything right now. _Dark?..._ Again, more silence. He hadn't done anything to make Dark upset so why was he ignoring him? Why couldn't he feel the presence of the thief at all? He poked the unconscious bluenette beside him. "Nonki, wake up." He kept poking him until finally the Hikari woke up with a muttered curse, rubbing his own noggin. "Nngh…Where's Krad?" Was the first thing that came from his mouth and the Niwa shook his head.

"I think… I think they're gone…"

Although he still had an odd feeling that he was still somewhere, just…different. Sky blue eyes widened.

"What? No, I can still sense him, he…" He trailed off and pointed at the wreckage of the canvas. Rakki's eyes darted around before finding what the Hikari was pointing out. He stood up and crossed the room, removing scraps of canvas and a thick chain from one of the objects. Whatever it was it was big, nearly five feet long and two or three feet wide at least. It was … something like a cocoon.

"Hmm…." He couldn't resist- he put a hand against it and drummed the pads of his fingers on it. It was kind of warm and fuzzy, like a peach…Something moved in response to the vibration and Rakki screamed like a little girl and ran back to where Nonki was.

"Ahh! Did you see that! That was disgusting!" He shook out his whole body like a dog and rubbed his arms.

"Ugh! Ewe ew ew ew EW! What the hell was that?" Nonki pulled a pair of glasses out of his shirt pocket and slipped them on.

"Well what else would it be? I think… those are our other selves." He went over to the white one to confirm it. Even as he approached he could feel Krad's presence- though it was different from before. A bit lighter, a bit less burdened by past sins. He out a hand on the soft, warm surface and asked, "…Krad?" There was nothing at first but then he did feel something, slight though, but still there. _…. Krad? _In response his other self sent him a rush of annoyance and a small growl that clearly said he didn't appreciate being talked to while he was in this state. Nonki sat down next to the peculiar object and crossed his legs. "Hmm. Well, it's obviously them." Rakki threw his hands up in the air.

"How can you even be near that thing! They're gross!" Though he had to admit it did feel better knowing that the thief was still here. Whatever 'here' meant.

"I think they're getting human bodies." The Hikari mused as Rakki approached the black one again, as one would a cornered animal.

"It's not going to bite you." The other boy said, clearly a bit amused.

"How do you know? That's just the kind of thing Dark would do, explode outta there… ooh, I wish I hadn't watched so many Alien movies…" He shuddered and put one finger just barely on the surface, one eye closed as if he really did expect Dark to come barreling out at him. "So, uh… How long are they going to be in here?" The Hikari took off his glasses and polished them on the corner of his shirt-they were always getting streaked by his eyelashes. Very annoying.

"Not for another few months would be my guess." He really had no idea. He certainly didn't have any other case similar to compare this to. _They'll probably be naked too. _He added to himself. _I'll have to remember to leave some clothes for them._

"My mom's not going to be happy with another mouth to feed." Rakki said forebodingly. "And Dark eats enough for two or three, let me tell you."

"I believe you." The Hikari was preoccupied with his own situation. His mother and stepfather probably wouldn't exactly… welcome a fully human, untamed Krad into their home. Not that many people would. Of course Krad was better than he had been with previous tamers but there were always the stories. "I don't think my parents… would be comfortable with Krad in our house." He confessed quietly.

"Well that's okay, he can stay with me!"

The Hikari stared. "Wh-Excuse me? No. Putting those two in the same house is a very bad idea!"

Rakki shook his head. "No, no- we have this little apartment-like lake house way on the other end of the property. It gets electricity and heating and water- I mean, it'd be perfect. My parents were just thinking of renting it out…" Nonki put a hand on his chin. It actually sounded plausible. "Well… you should definitely tell your parents before these two bust out. I'd better go home and tell them what's happened too. Although…" He didn't feel comfortable leaving the two cocoons unprotected.

It would be very, very bad if some reporter or even any other person than a Niwa or Hikari found them.

"Here, do you have a pen or anything?" Strangely enough he did happen to have a sharpie in his back pocket. "Uh, yeah, here." He dug it out and handed it to the Hikari. "Say, where are Wiz and Rai?" He watched as the blunette bent down and began drawing a large circle around the two cocoons. "Hmm. I don't know. Rai!" He held up his hand and called but the little black creature didn't appear.

"I think they got absorbed by those two." He finished the first circle and drew another in the center, then joined the two with Hikari script. "I'll need something of yours to finish the seal, Niwa."

"Something of mine?" He handed the pen back to him and nodded. "You know, some hair or blood or similar to that." He thought for a moment before plucking out a few strands of hair. "Will that be okay?"

"Perfect."He added the bright red hair to his own and placed them in the center of the second circle. It lit up blue for a moment and then all of the markings on the floor disappeared. Seeing the look on Rakki's face he added, "It's not gone. It's just invisible."

"Oh…How come we haven't been thrown out yet?" The Hikari lifted an eyebrow. "Well it'd be kind of useless if it locked us from going near them, wouldn't it?" Rakki flushed. "Oh. Oh, yeah, I forgot." He ruffled his hair with his hand sheepishly. "Well, we should probably get going, and without the wings you're going to have to follow me through the tunnels, otherwise you'll get lost." Nonki glanced back at the two cocoons. He'd have to set up some cameras in here too, since he wouldn't be able to keep visiting them all the said,

"Here, I should give you my number just in case I have to call you about them." Rakki handed the Hikari his phone and they started down the silent, shadowed tunnels. "How far do these go?" The Hikari asked, a little creeped out at the hieght of the ceiling and doorways.

"All underneath the city." Rakki replied, thankful that the thief's map memories were still intact in his mind, otherwise he'd get lost too. The design of the caves was kind of ingenoius really, with the slates above big enough to give air and light but small enough to keep out alrge vermin. _Of course Dark probably would be able to through here faster than me... _He realized he was missing Dark already and flushed a little, embarassed. It was just that to him the thief was more of a perverted older brother than anything. Despite their familie's feud the boys stayed close to each other until the light from the last tunnel began filtering down, promising an end to the caverned abyss.

"Well, my house it this way so..." They said their goodbyes and went back to their families, both dealing in their own way with the strange and unsettling silence in their minds. Of course they'd been wishing for it back since the two halves had showed up but now it was just... stagnant.

* * *

Nearly three months passed and Nonki woke up in the middle of the night, for apparently no reason. He was used to the bustling noise of traffic near his home. _Hm. Why...?_ His cat Death who had made a comfortable nest on his belly mewed questioningly at him and his yellow-green eyes glowed like swamp gas. "Sorry, kitty..." He apologised before moving the cat so he could sit up properly and scratched the side of his head. He almost hoped to hear Krad's soft sleepy voice comment about the cat- he seemed to like them- but their was nothing. He reached over to the nightstand and put on his glasses. He'd never felt so restless in his entire life. His feet itched and his legs had an unpleasant pins-and-needles prickling that was urging him to stand up and walk.

Something was happening, but he wasn't sure what. He slipped on his shoes and socks and grabbed a flashlight from the living room cabinet. As an after thought, he brought a pair of extra clothes too, the largest that he had. Just in case his hunch was correct.

_Well it won't hurt just to walk around the block for a minute. _But even as he snuck downstairs and closed the front door as quietly as he could he knew he was fooling himself. His feet led him to the ramshackled, forgotten place where the Niwa tunnels began. He paused for a moment. _'all underneath the city'...'you'll get lost'..._

But his other self was ... Not reaching out to him exactly, but their connection was drawing tight again, like a slightly overheated hand against his chest. He had to go. As he entered the tunnels he shivered- if it was creepy during the day it was ten times more so at night, and a constant cold. He flicked thew flashlight on but somehow it made navigating even creepier; the way the shadows swung up the walls and skittered away in front of him.

As he reached each fork he would close his eyes andsee down which way his connection with Krad strengthened, and in this way after a good half-hour he found himself entering a much larger chamber than the tunnels themselves.

His bobbling ray of light ran over the remaints of an enormous canvas and a single line of chain reflected a dull yellow.

He was definetely in the right place. To his surprise he heard a click, "Hello?" and another flashlight clicked on at the other side of the room, its own beam a bluish-white. "Niwa?" He said in surprise and made his way over to the other tamer, being careful of the jagged shards of wood. "What are you doing here?" Nevertheless it was a comfort to see another living person down here besides himself. The redhead shrugged and went back to the side of the black cocoon, sitting down and leaning against it with his hands crossed behind his head. "I dunno. All I can really say is that I just felt like something was going to happen, you know?" Nonki did and nodded, sitting down beside what presumably was his own other half.

"Hey, do you think that they'll still have wings?"

The Hikari shrugged, "Probably not considering they didn't have much time or-" He stopped abrubtly as he felt something move behind his back. It wasn't like the others he'd felt last time he came down here- it was strong and precise, testing out the elasticity of the cocoon. Across from him the Niwa gave a little smirking smile.

"Ah, you felt one too huh? Good, I was getting worried." He poked the side of the black cocoon and added, "Dark's been at it since I got here. Thrashing around and whatnot." He thought for a second.

"Uh, you didn't happen to bring an extra pair of clothes with you, did you?" He added silently, _**Though knowing him prancing around in his birthday suit would be his style...**_

The bluenette tossed the extra set over to him. "I did. I figured you might need them."

"Thanks. Dark will thank you too, I'll bet."

"So you're not scared of the cocoons anymore?"

The Niwa flushed as red as his hair, "Heck no! I could wrestle this thing to the ground right now and-" He squirmed away from it again with a startled yelp as Dark's prison suddenly cracked a foor or so, exposing tan flesh. Rakki's mouth opened in a silent scream as Dark sat up abruptly, breaking the rest of the shell down the middle and sending a thin wave of clearish fluid across the cement floor.

"Yeeech! Gross!" The thief exclaimed and combed a few chunks of the cocoon out of his wine-colored hair, his nose wrinkled up in disgust.

"No kidding!" Rakki agreed, picking the clothes up off the floor before they got wet. Across the room Nonki did the same.

"How in the hell did I get in there? I..." He trailed off as he saw Rakki standing next to him and got very quiet, looking down at his own body again more carefully. He flexed his hands, put his right against his chest, felt his human heart thumping steadily under his dark amber skin. "How..."

It took him another half-second before he fully digested that this was his very own human body.

_His. _

That he could use to live a regular human life. "Krad?" He didn't know why his damn other self was the second thing that came to his mind, but he didn't bother analyzing it. _**Krad? **_He felt the blonde's consiousness, and a flicker of irritation, followed by being ignored completely.

"He's in there huh?" Nonki, who Dark immidiately recognized as a Hikari, nodded.

"Now wanting to come out huh?" Dark grinned and took the clothes Rakki handed him, waiting until both boys had politely turned around before standing up and slipping into them.

**_Krad if you dont get out here this minute I'm going to start singing. _**

Something moved under the soft cottony surface, an arm or a leg perhaps, but he was still being ignored.

**_Fine you asked for it. This time... _**He stroked his chin evilly as he finished buttoning his shirt. **_... 'you know I like my chicken fried... _**

Krad's mind flared up.

_Stop that. Stop it right now._

**_...a cold beer on a Friday night, a pair of jeans that fit just right, and the radio up... _**Across the room the white cocoon split and Krad's hand ran along the edge, ripping and folding back the delicate material and sitting up. His long golden hair was no longer contained by a ponytail and ran down his back and across his collarbones freely. He looked around in a kind of daze, as if he wasn't all the way there, or _here _might be the better word for it.

Nonki crouched down next to him, trying his best to not let a blush rise on his face (he'd never really seen Krad naked after all) and spoke softly, "Krad? This is yours." His yellow eyes were dull until he settled on the item in his tamer's hand- the delicate metal necklace with one black feather, one white. He took it and slipped it over his bare neck, closing his eyes as he did until the cool moon settled against his chest. He flipped his hair over the chain and seemed to suddenly snap back to reality. He was utterly confused to see his tamer standing seperate from him, unless...

"Is... is this body mine?"

Dark stood with his hands on his hips proudly and declared, " Sure is! We both have human bodies now, Kraddy! Ain't that something?" Krad suddenly seemed to realize he was naked, in a room with three other men.

_Um...oh bugger. _He brought up his thigh to cover himself and pulled his arms in and quite a blush rose on his pale cheeks.

"Alright turn around all of you!" He snatched the clothes from the floor. "I have to get dressed." Of course both tamers did but Dark simply raised an eyebrow. Krad's eyes narrowed. "Especially you." He hissed and the phantom crossed his arms. "Why don't you come over here and make me." The blonde sat in the half-broken cocoon and gave the thief his best glare but Dark merely grinned. "Well. Can't keep your tamer waiting."

Krad stood and slipped into a pair of pants and a soft blue turtleneck, swearing softly and making sure to keep his back to Dark at all times. When he was finished he began braiding his hair at the base of his neck, uncomfortable with letting it fall to its full length. "Well now that your both decent..." Nonki murmured and adjusted his glasses. "We were discussing the living accomidations for you two and..." He trailed off as Krad's eyes pierced his. It wouldn't do him any good to lie to him.

Luckily Rakki intervened, "My parents have this awesome little lakeside house Krad could stay in, if he wanted to..."

Dark and Krad both stared at him as if he'd spouted a second head. "What?"

The thief was making sweeping motions with his hands as he continued, "No, no, you don't understand the idea of us living together is a very, very bad-" Krad's eyes flicked to Nonki and inside his head murmured, _Your parents are... uncomfortable with the idea of my living amongst them, is that not the case? _

Ashamed, he admitted to his other self, _Pretty much. I tried to convince them that things were different now but... They won't listen, and I know it would be very uncomfortable for you if you came to my house. _He added, _Besides, being near Dark might not be the worst thing, considering... Considering Aisoku was his son too. _The pain that snapped across Krad's face made Nonki flinch and wish he'd taken the words back.

_I see. _The white wings said coldly and the connection with his tamer shut suddenly, like a wire snapping. Krad hadn't really expected Nonki's parents to be comfortable with it, of course, but sending him to live with the Niwas... Although that didn't really matter anymore did it. The feud. "It might not be the worst idea, as long as I am a fair distance away from the main house I will be fine." Dark gaped at him. "Eh...?" Krad explained, "Well, it's rude of me not to accept an invitation isn't it? And besides, I'm fairly sure the Hikari's will be glad to be rid of me."

_Isn't that right, Nonki? _He added nastily in the back of the Hikari's mind and the boy's expression told him he'd done enough. Both Niwa's looked rather uncomfortable and were edging towards the other end of the room, away from the two Hikari's and their uncomfortable air surrounding them. Dark streched his arms up over his head and added, "Well I know this sounds strange but I could go for another few hours of sleep about now... and a snack, definetely."

"I actually agree." Krad said, finally finished with his braid, and threw it over one shoulder. "Shall we go, then?" The two Niwa's nodded and began down the tunnels, but before Krad left he went to Nonki's side and put an arm around his shoulders briefly. "Goodbye Hikari tamer. Although... I suppose I needn't call you that anymore." The Hikari squeezed his arm and said angrily, "If I had any choice you'd be staying with..."

"I know."

His other self walked off into the darkness and although the connection they shared was still strong in his chest Nonki felt more alone than ever.

* * *

Ffwer19- Oho, so you admit Krad is cute than?XD And, I hope this chappie answered that last question. and don't worry, still one chappie left.

bunnywithatophat- I know . I feel bad for him a little.(but not much since I wrote it)

LadyFai- Well, they do live in the same town but disappearing for 14 year intervals kinda sucks...

IntelligentFerretFreak- I loved that part too XD I got it from a scene in'silver diamond' and aww, I didn't mean to make you cry. . Sorry!

PS- didnt have time to review this real well so sorry for grammar errors.


	19. Chapter 19

Amani- flaxseed

(flax is a pretty light blue flowering plant)

Kurige-chestnut horse

* * *

Krad held one paintbrush between his teeth, one over his ear, and three in his right hand as he painted with his left. His easel was placed on the back porch of his little lakeside house and faced the lake, the water only about 20 yards from his home. The wind that blew up from the lake was cold and refreshing to his slightly tired mind. This gimmick of living with the Niwa's was actually working out pretty well. He'd gotten a minor job and sold his artwork to give his meager wages a boost. The Niwa's still insisted that he didn't need to pay rent until he found a better job but he still left what he could afford on the kitchen counter for them every Monday morning.

He yawned and pulled back from his painting for a moment, tucking a certain necklace back under his shirt so it wouldn't get stained by paint.

He'd sent a note to his tamer apologizing for his childishness and they'd been communicating by letter ever since. A fly buzzed past his vision and his catlike reflexes allowed him to smash it dead against the wall. "Ew."Krad wiped bug remains off his hand and looked back at his work. He'd been working on this particular piece all night- some famous art collector had wanted him to do a religious piece and since he'd never been religious, he was finding it difficult. The wings on the angels, though, he was familiar with. A creak around the left side of his porch alerted him to someone's presence and he put the paintbrushes on the railing.

"Hey, Krad." A voice he was all too familiar with drawled happily. "I brought you some coffee and some oatmeal."

"What are you, my mother?"

Krad replied without turning around and yanked the stained-up apron he used while painting over his head and laid it out on the railing too.

"Damn near, it looks like-" Dark said and handed him the mug, which Krad took and sat down on the wooden steps. Somehow Dark had made it a habit to come down and visit the blonde, which he found quite irritating (and if he examined his feelings further, a bit endearing). "Whatcha painting this time? Please tell me it's for someone rich."

Suddenly an old ache sprang up between his shoulder blades and the blonde reached over his shoulder with a wince. "Ah." Dark had brought his own food as well and as he sipped what looked like a mocha frap something or other, he murmured, "Huh. It's happening to you too now?"

"What is? The aches and pains of an old man?" He said grumpily and the thief laughed heartily.

"Old? You calling twenty old?" He shook his head. "Nah, it's the wings coming back. Takes 'em a while for some reason. I thought…" He trailed off and looked out at the lake for a moment thoughtfully. "Honestly I thought they'd never come back, but…"

Yellow eyes narrowed. "Are you saying yours are back?" Dark nodded happily, his hair bobbing. "Of course, nowhere near big enough yet…"

"Let me see." Krad said, intrigued. It was one of the things he missed most about their past life. It figures just as he'd finally come to terms with it Dark would throw him a bone. "Just don't tear them out from jealousy, alright?"

"I won't." Krad said quietly, still feeling guilty for that night even after all these years. Dark set down his mug and pulled up his shirt and spread them gingerly. They looked the same as always, soft sleek black feathers, only that they couldn't have been longer than four feet each. Krad ran a hand along one of them and felt Dark suppress a shudder. "Does your fiancée know about these?"

The thief snorted, "No. I can hide 'em pretty well but I think she'll find out soon." He folded them and they seemed to slide back up under his skin, almost disappearing save two darkish strips, like bruises.

Krad couldn't help but chuckle. "Heh. Chibi wings."

"Eh?Sh-shut up!" He colored, "Eat your food, it'll get cold." and shoved the oatmeal at Krad, who took it and took a bite. Of course it was delicious- the Niwa's seemed to have a knack for creating good, filling food. "Yes mom."

The phantom rolled his eyes, "You of all people shouldn't be calling me that." Krad's golden eyes seemed to darken and the thief put an arm around his shoulders, hopefully to give the blonde a bit of comfort. "What about that girl you met at the coffee shop the other day?" Just thinking of her gave Krad a warm spreading feeling in his belly. "What about her? I haven't seen her since. I don't move as fast as you, Dark."

"Did you get her number?"

"I.."

The thief leaned in. "Weeelll?"

Krad twiddled his thumbs. "I did."

Dark squeezed his shoulder. "Ah, I knew you could do it!" Krad shoved him away, part playfully and part not. "Oh knock it off! I just…" He broke eye contact and muttered, "Since I'm human now, I cannot afford to waste time moping…"

_Of course I will always miss him. Of course there will always be a place in my heart that cannot be filled, but…_

_ "_Aisoku… Wouldn't want me to waste the life he gave me like that." He picked up the mug Dark had brought him and sipped, ignoring the way his other self was staring at him. He finished his oatmeal and put the empty bowl by his side- he'd remember to drop it by the main house later. "What?" Krad finally snapped as the unusually long period of silence stretched.

"Well, I never thought this would happen."

Dark stood and ruffled the blonde's hair just to tick him off and said, "I guess… you're finally growing up." He gave his other self a little salute and before he disappeared around the side of the house, he called, "I'll see you later then, if you're not out on a date or something."

He winked and Krad flushed, but of course before he could retaliate, the thief was gone.

* * *

_11 years later_

"Alright, I'm off. I'll try to get home at a decent time so we can actually spend some time together." The blonde sighed.

"Oh hush dear. It's good you're working overtime." Amani straightened Krad's tie and smoothed his collar down in the back, her small hands working deftly around his long ponytail. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close, or as close as they could get with her belly as big as it was now. She snuggled into his chest.

"Any extra money we can get for the bug is a good thing."

Krad raised an eyebrow and the corner of his lip twitched. "Hmm. I know."

As his chin rested on her head the baby inside her kicked hard and his amused snort ruffled her black hair.

"Awe. I thought he'd get you that time for sure." She pouted and her blue eyes sparkled mischievously. "You never seem to flinch! Why is that?" He shrugged, _I guess I'm just used to it._ "Haven't the foggiest my dear. Wish me luck."

She did and half an hour later he was in his cubicle, trying to figure out which angle would make it the most impossible for Dark to talk to him. Yes, they ended up working at the same company, and yes somehow, they had been placed next to each other in a work force of over a thousand people. And no, they wouldn't change seats just because Krad had asked to be moved three times already. Mostly it was because of this time of year, in fact this day in particular…

_Wait, it can't be…_He scooted his chair like a madman up to his wall and ran a finger down his calendar to find today's date. _Oh no… _A shudder ran down his body.

Today was bring-your-kid-to-work day.

"Hey Krad!" Dark scooted his chair back and sure enough his whole pack of offspring was gathered around him. There were the eleven-year old twin boys, who had their father's eyes but their mother's straight reddish-brown hair, the ten year old girl who was basically a mini-Kurige, the nine year old boy who had the bright red hair and eyes of his mother and finally the seven-year old, with a sprinkling of red in his otherwise Dark-ish features. Five in all. They were staring at Krad as if he was from another planet, which Krad mused was sort of true- he was the exact opposite of Dark in looks. They'd probably never seen someone so white in Japan before.

"Did you and the missus get pregnant yet?"

"I already told you that she did." Krad said snottily, wishing for the umpteenth time that their wives weren't best friends. Dark rubbed his fingers together. "But I haven't seen her in three months, so you could be lying. Evidence…?"

The blonde pulled a copy of the ultrasound from his pocket and passed it to the thief quickly- hopefully no one was checking around and making sure everyone was working. Though judging by the infantile wails coming from the row over, he guessed not. His clan gathered around him as he held it up to the light and frowned. "Too damn dark…" He got up and laid it against the row of windows behind them. "Aha!"

"What is it papa?" The youngest of the pack asked and he put a hand on his head and ruffled his hair. "Kraddy here is expecting a little one." He answered and asked, "So how far along is she?"

"Six months." Krad answered automatically, more than used to the question by now. Dark gestured the blonde a little closer and whispered, "See the twins ended up getting the wings early so just keep an eye out on this-" He drew a line from the child's curved back and into the shadows Krad hadn't noticed before.

"Could be a wing. Not sure though." Krad 'hmph'ed and took the picture back from him and worry beginning to stir in his gut. Amani knew of his wings of course, and lately she'd been joking about feeling soft feathers stirring around with the child in her belly. Now he wondered if…

The day continued and Krad tried his best to ignore the ruckus going on in the cubicle next to him, but it was near impossible.

It was always, "Daisuke stop trying to turn the printer into a mecha-robot," and "Itachi stop using the stapler as a weapon,". But to his surprise one of them wandered into his own cubicle, the littlest one, and before he could get two words out he asked, "Can I sit with you?"

"Um, there is only one chair…"

The child was upon him before he knew what to do, clambering up into his lap. "I know. I thought we'd share!"

He was so stunned he couldn't do much but steady the boy so he didn't fall out of his lap. "Be careful!" "I will." The boy said, seeming to be completely at home in Krad's lap. "What are you doing?"

"Writing programs." Krad answered automatically. "It sounds boring." The little boy said and rubbed his eyes. "You tired?"

"Yeah…" Krad kept an arm around the boy's waist to keep him steady. Before he knew it he'd said, "You can sleep here if you want…" and the boy had burrowed into his body's heat like a mole, falling asleep almost instantly. Krad scooted back in front of his computer and typed with his right hand, turning the light down so that it wouldn't disturb Dark's littlest family member. He slept quite peacefully, his feeble warmth keeping Krad aware of his presence and before long Krad found he liked his company.

In fact he was a little sad when the day was over and he had to gently shake the boy's shoulder and tell him it was time to go.

"Huh? Oh, okay… thanks, bye!" He hopped down and ran to join Dark who was struggling to get his family together.

"No, I told you the Mr. Collins doesn't want- Ichigo stop using the laser pointer to blind Daisuke!" Finally everything was more or less in order and they were able to leave in peace, but not before Dark managed, "You see what you have to look forward to?" but he was smiling and Krad nodded. "I do."

* * *

"But I don't wanna! I cooked dinner! It takes forever to get those ratty kids to sleep!" Dark whined as he followed his wife Kurige upstairs with the children's favorite book in hand. She frowned, "No it doesn't, and they've been running around in the backyard for the past half-hour. They'll be tired." Dark muttered, "M-hmm suuure…"

"If you don't stop complaining you're going to lose your sex privileges."

He gasped. "You-you're not…" and she wagged her finger, "You're darn right I'm serious! I'll see you in bed then dear."

She shoved the still-shocked thief into the twin's bedroom, where everyone was gathered. "Alright everyone listen up!" He said, ending the fight Ichigo and Daisuke over goodness-knows-what. "I'm going to read a story to the little ones so can you two keep it down for half an hour?" They looked at each other and Daisuke admitted, the more honest of the two, "Probably not." Dark sighed. "Alright look, if I give you ten minutes with my itough- do not bust it- then will you be quiet?"

"Yes!' They chimed out instantly, took the small gaming device from Dark and ran off to their own shared bedroom. "Alright," He flopped down into the middle of the bed and made sure to divide the rest of his clan in such a way that if they wanted to fight, they'd have to climb over him to do so. Dark wriggled around until the two slits in his shirt were large enough and stretched his wings out, cupping them around each side of the bed. "Everyone comfy? Alright then."

A half-hour later Kurige went in to check in on her husband because it had gotten unnaturally quiet. She opened the door quietly and snuck in, closing it behind her as she tiptoed to the bed. Dark was completely out and snoring softly and his right wing occasionally twitched. The children were all asleep too, protected by the long span of his wings and she leaned out over the first two to reach him. Her lips gently touched his and she murmured, "Goodnight, my dear…" The thief's eyes fluttered and he leaned up to catch her mouth, "Hmm. Good night…" and stole a long lingering kiss before settling back down into the covers alongside his children.

* * *

The cries of a very angry baby cut through Krad's sleep like a knife. "..."

"Honey I think …it's your turn." Amani murmured.

Krad rubbed his eyes. "Nngh…" Then he dragged himself from the warm bed and down the hallway to his son's room, plucking him up from the crib and settling into the chair beside it. His nose could tell he didn't need a change and it wasn't his usual 'hungry' cry either. "Well what wrong with you then hmm?" He crooned and the child's cries faded a bit, his red-tinged blue eyes wide.

"If I sing for a bit will you go back to sleep?" The baby snuggled up against his chest and looked up at him tiny white wings against his back, which were usually tightly folded flared out and flapped once before settling again.

"I'll take that as a yes." He said to himself and started without really thinking, his mind on other things. The light of a new day was just beginning to trickle in, night turning into day. The analogy reminded him of a certain thief who hadn't made his début since he'd turned twenty-five. The best thief the world had ever known had retired for the quiet life, it seemed. As the song came to an end Krad realized it was the same one he'd sung to Aisoku all those years ago. He put a large hand on the child's peach-soft cheek and stroked the skin with his thumb and the baby gurgled happily. He continued petting and comforting him until he felt the weight of the little boy suddenly increase as he fell asleep.

Once Krad was sure he wasn't going to come out of it anytime soon he slowly stood and put him back in the crib. He leaned with both arms crossed on the smooth wooden railing and crossed his legs at the ankles. From behind the easy laid-back posture of his body could be mistaken for his other self, and in fact he happened to be standing the same way his mirror had, looking down at Aisoku.

It all seemed like it had happened just yesterday.

Like if he turned a corner Aisoku would be there, smiling and waiting.

His long loose golden braid hung down the strong curve of his neck and collar and down onto the cloth in the crib, spilling out into thin rivers.

But here and now, this new child needed him.

"Good night …Satoshi-sama."

In the blue winter light two wolf eyes burned with love and the loss of a tamer who had been the best facet of himself, in every way.

_The End_

* * *

Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers and sorry I didn't leave chapter 18 up that long . I kind of wanted to finish this story before college starts.

So again, thanks to-IntelligentFerretFreak, Damaged Ghost of an Angel, Sappiet, Lady Fai, RosalieCullenHale1, Fireflower19, DonChakram, xOtaku4Ux, Cherry Maiden, Shinjitsu Elric Mustang, and Devil wingz. ^^ Love to you all XD

ps. i think i'll be trying an inuyasha story next so the only DNAngel one I'll be working on is Crimson Wolf, if anyone wants to know .


End file.
